Harry Potter, Post Script: Heroes, Hopes and Horrors
by midnightephemera
Summary: A continuation of the Harry Potter series after the demise of the Dark Lord. What happens in the 19 years before the epilogue? How do the two new couples deal with new responsibilities and one more year of school before them? (Mostly Canon compliant) NEW RATING: T. All 'M' material has been moved to a new companion story called Post Script Snippets.
1. Guilt

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to that genius of a British writer. All ideas for this continuation are my own, but that's not to say that someone else hasn't already used them in their own story._

**Chapter 1 - Guilt**

"_Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead - "_

"_This is my last warning - "_

"_Not Harry! Please… have mercy … Not Harry! Please - I'll do anything…"_

Harry awoke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. It took a moment for him to unfog his mind from it's sleepy state, while he winced in the sunlight that was streaming in through the window. He rubbed his face with his palms, then shook his head a few times as he tried to clear the nightmare from his mind. With a sigh, he reached over to the bedside table and put on his glasses, looking around.

He was in Ron's bedroom at the Burrow, and the incoming sunlight was playing harshly on the vast amount of orange-colored Chudley Cannons posters in the room. Another wince crossed Harry's face, and he focused on the one non-orange item on the bedroom walls; a calendar pinned to the wall next to the door. He stared at it for a moment, until he remembered what day it was.

May 6th. Only four days ago Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasley's, and hundreds of others had stood up to Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts. To Harry it seemed as if it had been years ago, and just yesterday at the same time. With a soft sigh, he turned a bit and leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, thinking. A lot had happened in the last 96 hours. It had felt like one giant blur to Harry, and as much as he didn't want to relive any of it, he felt he had to.

* * *

After repairing his own broken wand and leaving Dumbledore's office, he and Ron and Hermione made their way to Gryffindor tower. They walked slowly, taking in all the damage to the school they had called home for so long. Harry walked a bit behind the two of them, the thoughts and memories of everyone who had died consuming him.

Just before they got to the Fat Lady's portrait, he noticed that Hermione had dropped her head onto Ron's shoulder as they walked, quiet sobs escaping her. Ron was just putting his arm around her, and Harry couldn't help but smile. Even through all they'd been through, something good was happening in front of him.

That night passed too quickly for any of their liking. They all slept in the boy's old dormitory, Hermione in Seamus' old bed, not wanting to leave each other alone. Sometime during the night though, Hermione must have crawled into Ron's bed, because there they were in the morning, holding each other in their sleep.

* * *

The next two days were rough on everyone. The reality of what had happened was sinking in to everyone. There was still joy and satisfaction in everyone's eyes when the trio showed up for meals, but thoughts still lingered on the nearly 60 people who had died.

The three kept to themselves for the most part, finding different spots around the castle and grounds to just sit near each other and think, or talk softly. Harry had been blaming himself for everything; all those people had died, Fred, Lupin, Tonks, for him. To give him time to find what he needed to find. If only he had been able to do everything sooner, If only.

George had eventually gotten through all the sorrow Harry was feeling. It was strange, but out of all the Weasley's, George seemed to be taking Fred's death the best. Over a beef stew one night in the Great Hall, he looked pointedly at Harry and spoke up.

"Harry, no one here blames you for anything, most of all me. Everyone who came to help made their decision, and they knew there was a chance they wouldn't be here celebrating at the end of it all. _You_ didn't kill anyone Harry, it was all Voldemort and the Death Eaters."

The surviving twin kept his strong gaze up, and looked at his whole family. Mrs. Weasley had tears falling out of puffy red eyes that hadn't cleared in days, and he put his hand on top of her's.

"If Fred was here, he would be appalled that we were all sitting here crying. All of the Weasley children nodded in unison, imagining what Fred would be saying, smiles appearing on their faces.

Ginny had looked at Harry then, a slight smile and a look on her face that told him what she was feeling. She wanted to talk with him, Harry knew, but she would wait for him, until he was ready to. He smiled back at her and nodded slightly, silently thanking her.

* * *

Harry and the Weasley's had all left Hogwarts together on the 5th. They didn't go straight home to the Burrow however. Every one of them was there at the funerals for Remus and Tonks, and throughout it Harry could not stop watching Teddy Lupin; Remus and Tonk's baby boy, and his godson. He felt guilty, knowing that the little boy would never get to know his parents, just like Harry. Before they all left and Apparated for the Burrow, Harry swore to himself that Teddy would have a loving family growing up, and that he would be there to tell the boy all about his parents.

That night, they all gathered in a circle around the grave that had been dug for Fred, up on a hill close to the Burrow that the Weasley family owned. The mood was somber, until George spoke. He and Fred had apparently discussed what they each wanted in case of their untimely deaths, and with a wave of his wand, George turned each of their robes and dresses into a different color.

Those werent the only changes to their attire though. From inside Ginny's pockets there was small pink hearts trying to escape, from Mr. Weasley's pockets there were various Muggle artifacts and devices. Each family member in turned started laughing and smiling as they took it in turn to find what was hiding on them, but they all had a roar of a laugh when a small colony of spiders marched out of Ron's pocket. Even Mrs. Weasley had a chuckle at that, not even looking at George with a scowl.

* * *

They had all stayed up pretty late that night, sitting in the living room of the Burrow and drinking Firewhiskey in toasts to Fred and all the others. Harry couldn't remember what time he and Ron had made their way up to the room, but he was sure it was very late in the night, and his head agreed. All he wanted to do was lay down again and fall back asleep, but he knew it wouldn't be possible.

With a sigh, he got out of bed and pulled on some clothes. He made his way quietly down the staircase, stopping at the door to Ginny's room. Not hearing either Ginny or Hermione making any noise in there, he continued down onto the main floor.

He could hear Mrs. Weasley starting to make some breakfast in the kitchen and the back door opening, but his eye caught a bit of long, red hair in the living room, and he doubled back to look in.

Ginny was there, sitting in the corner of the large sofa, looking out through a window. He smiled and walked into the room behind her, careful to make some noise so that he wouldn't startle her. Once he got close, she turned around to see who it was, and a smile crossed her face. She was still wearing her pajamas, a loose light green t-shirt and flannel pants. Patting the seat next to her, she cleared her throat softly.

"Hi, Harry," she said softly, "do you want to come talk?"

Harry nodded, moving to sit next to her, but Mrs. Weasley walked into the room just then.

"Ah, Harry. Good, you're awake. You have a visitor," she said to him quickly, motioning to the kitchen. "Ginny, would you be a dear and go wake Hermione and Ron? They should be here for this too, and breakfast is almost ready."

With that, Mrs. Weasley walked out of the room and back into the kitchen, her voice carrying a bit as she talked to the visitor, asking if they wanted anything to eat. Harry and Ginny both sighed at the same time. They smiled a bit at that, and as Ginny got up to go upstairs, Harry took her hand in his and squeezed it gently, looking at her. No words came out of his mouth, but she nodded back to him with a smile.

"Later," she said softly, "we can talk later."

Harry just nodded back to her and watched as she bounded up the stairs. After a few moments he made his way into the kitchen to see who it was calling on them this early in the morning.

As he turned the corner into the kitchen, he could see an older witch taking a seat at the table and taking off her black hat.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to eat Minerva?" Mrs. Weasley asked her.

Harry stopped for a moment.

It was Professor McGonagall.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate any reviews or comments, especially criticisms! This first chapter is a bit short, I know, but this seemed a natural breaking point. I will continue to post chapters as I write them, and I plan to keep writing as long as there is something to write about, 19 years is a long time!_


	2. A Plethora of News

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to that genius of a British writer. All ideas for this continuation are my own, but that's not to say that someone else hasn't already used them in their own story._

**Chapter 2 - A Plethora of News**

Harry stood still for a moment, wondering why Professor McGonagall was sitting there at the kitchen table, and what she wanted from him, Hermione and Ron. Realizing he was going to look foolish just standing there, he walked over to Mrs. Weasley and helped her bring some plates over to the table.

McGonagall was shaking her head, but smiling upwards at Mrs. Weasley. "Thank you Molly, but I'm alright, really. I ate before coming over."

Harry took a seat across the table from her, and she nodded at him. "Good morning Harry," she said kindly, with a small smile on her face. "Don't let me keep you from your breakfast, We should wait for the others to join us, I have news that you'll all want to hear."

He nodded back to her, not saying anything as he piled a few sausages and some toast onto his plate. From up above he could hear the sounds of doors opening and closing, and within a few minutes, Ginny had reappeared with Hermione and Ron in tow. They had all changed into something nicer than pajamas.

McGonagall nodded at them. "Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley," she said in her normal greeting voice, motioning for them to take seats at the table. She looked up at Ginny who hadn't left, and there was a thoughtful look on her face.

Harry finally spoke up. "Professor, Ginny might as well stay. We were going to tell her everything that you told us anyway." He looked pointedly at his teacher and Head of House. "I'm also assuming that you wanted to ask us what exact were were doing this past year," he said, and getting a nod in response. "It's about time we told Ginny and Mrs. Weasley what happened, so if it's all the same…" he asked trailing off.

McGonagall thought for a moment and nodded. "Very well. I don't suppose that you three want to keep repeating what has to be a long and interesting story over and over."

Ginny put a hand on Harry's left shoulder and squeezed it in a sign of thanks, taking a seat next to him at the table. Mrs. Weasley sat down at the table as well, next to Prof. McGonagall, setting down a mug of tea in front of their guest, and Harry started recounting their story, looking to Hermione and Ron from time to time for support.

It took quite a while for the three to explain what they had done, starting with their run in with the Death Easter right after Apparating away from Bill and Fleur's wedding, to camping in the woods each night. Ron got around to telling about the part where he had left the other two to go back home, and because Harry already knew what Ginny's reaction would be, he was able to stop her from reaching around his back and beating up on her brother.

Mrs. Weasley's face had a mixture of shock at her daughter for her behavior and shock at her son for what he had done, but Prof. McGonagall couldn't resist letting out a very soft and short chuckle at the scene in front of her.

Harry quickly went on with the story, making sure to mention that if Ron hadn't had left them, he wouldn't have been able to save Harry in the lake where they had found Godric Gryffindor's sword.

When the story was done, it stayed quiet in the room. Everyone, even Mrs. Weasley who had started crying a bit during the last bits was looking at Professor McGonagall. The new headmistress took a few moments to process all that information, then nodded.

"Thank you," she said quietly, "that answers many questions."

She lifted her mug of tea to take a sip, but then realized she had drained it while listening. Mrs. Weasley immediately pointed her wand at the tea kettle and poured her more.

After clearing her throat, the older witch looked at each of the 4 students in front of her. "Well, I did say I was bringing news, so here it is. The school's Board of Governors met last night, and it was agreed that Hogwarts should re-open in the fall, provided that we can repair all the damage done to the castle in time."

McGonagall paused. "From the outpouring of promises to help, I don't believe opening the school on time will be a problem," she said, noticing everyone's smiles. "Now, for the main part of why I am here. I assume that you, Ms. Weasley will be returning to start and finish your 7th year at Hogwarts," she paused as she got an emphatic nod from Ginny, "but would also like to know if you three would consider returning this year to finish your education as well."

Harry, Hermione and Ron all looked at each other, from the looks of it none of them had thought about it.

McGonagall continued. "We are offering all of this past year's 7th year students the chance to return to school again to either start or finish their N.E.W.T. courses. Gods know that between all the expulsions, no-shows, and students hiding in secret rooms for parts of the year, not much learning was had."

"Also," she continued, "if you do choose to return to Hogwarts, I would ask each of the four of you for some extra help."

The trio looked at each other quickly. It was apparent to everyone in the room that Hermione wanted to return for her N.E.W.T.s, and Mrs. Weasley's stern look at Ron pretty much answered the question for him.

Harry had honestly not thought about the possibility of returning to finish 7th year, but after thinking for a minute, he nodded.

McGonagall looked extremely happy at this news, and continued on. "Very well then, if it is alright with everyone present, then I would like to offer the roles of Head boy and Head Girl to Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. Additionally," she said quickly, seeing the surprised look on everyone's faces, "I would like to offer you Mr. Potter and you Ms. Weasley the roles of Head Prefects, and of course, Joint Captaincy of the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

Seeing the look of confusement going around the room, Prof. McGonagall smiled. "Yes, I did say Head Prefects. Hogwarts has never before offered this role to any student, but I dare say, with all the work the teachers will be needing to do this coming year, it would be helpful to have two extra pairs of hands if need be. I do hope you all accept these roles," she said carefully.

"It would help build confidence in the school again throughout the wizarding community to see heroes such as yourselves there this year, and I dare say that you will all have the respect of most every student. Not to mention," she said with a proud look on her face, "having four of the best duelists around, just in case the remaining Death Eater's decide to take a chance at the school again."

All four smiled wide, not even having to look at each other and nodding at the same time.

"Very good then. As you know, each year the Head Boy and Girl receive their own suite of rooms to use privately during the school year. As I am sure there will be questions upon questions from all direction aimed at the lot of you this fall, I will allow Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley to also have access to the Head's suite of rooms, if you so wish."

Harry smiled, grateful for the offer. "It would be more private, yes thank you Professor." There were smiles abound at the table.

Mrs. Weasley couldn't have been more excited. "Oh my!" she kept exclaiming over and over, "another Head Boy in the family, but really…" she said, beaming down at them all. "Even though you aren't my children Hermione, Harry, are you ARE part of this family, and the thought of you all being asked, oh dear!..." she said, standing up and releasing all her excitable energy by making more food.

The laughs couldn't be contained, and even McGonagall joined in on it. As they all calmed down, McGonagall reached for her hat and nodded at everyone. "Very good then. I'll see you all again this summer, I'm sure. Thank you again for your hospitality Molly, but I do need to get going. The Ministry is sending over a couple dozen re-builders and Charms experts this afternoon to make plans for rebuilding the school and I should be there."

She stood, and Mrs. Weasley walked with her out into the yard, as the four friends looked at each with big grins on their faces. Hugs and handshakes were passed all around, though the hugging was a bit more tender and noticeable between the two pairs.

Mrs. Weasley walked back inside, still all excitable, and this brought another round of laughter into the room.

* * *

The rest of the Weasley family learned of the quartet's new roles over the rest of that morning and afternoon. The news seemed to spread beyond the Burrow, however. Just as everyone was cleaning up after lunch, a large and very proud-looking tawny owl swooped in through the open kitchen window and landed on the counter in front of Mrs. Weasley.

After reading the note quickly, Mrs. Weasley looked up at everyone with a bemused look on her face. "It's from the Minister…" she said as everyone looked over. "Kingsley's asking if it would be alright to stop by for dinner tonight… oh dear," she said, getting into an excitable mood again, "two important visitors in one day…"

Harry grinned at Ginny, who had been putting clean dishes away. She rolled her eyes but giggled softly behind her hand. She'd grown up with her mother's moods and was used to them.

During a break in Mrs. Weasley's verbal planning, Harry interrupted and let her know that he would reply to the Minister, and the Weasley mother nodded back at him, before setting everyone a long list of chores and things to do to get ready. Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and Percy, who had not gone in to work that day, all sighed quietly, knowing that they'd be working right up until dinner.

Harry walked outside through the back door and pulled out his wand, focusing on the spell and message he wanted to send with his eyes tightly closed, and when he opened them, he saw his stag Patronus erupting out of his wand. It took a few leaps and bounds around the backyard, and then shot straight upwards in the air towards London.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, and a whiff of a flowery scent, he smiled. "Hi Gin," he said quietly, not even looking back.

Ginny smiled. "That was pretty good Harry," she said, "I didn't know you knew how to send a message via Patronus…"

Harry stepped down off the concrete step and onto the grass, turning and pulling Ginny down with him as he leaned against the side of the house. "I didn't, actually…" he started, looking into her eyes with a smile. "I just thought of it, and somehow I knew that I could pull it off, " he said with a shrug.

He pulled her into a close hug, wrapping his arms around her. "I've missed you Gin," he said quietly. Ginny nodded into his shoulder, not saying anything then but breathing a large sigh of relief.

It felt good standing there, Harry thought. After everything that had happened, he had survived, and so had Ginny, and now they had more time with each other. Forever, he hoped.

A bright flash broke him out of his reverie, and his eyes snapped to the source. Down the lane leading the Burrow's front door, he could see a few people gathering, some with cameras. With a sigh, he stood up straight, motioning to the reporters. "It seems we have company, again." she said to Ginny, as he took out his wand.

Taking aim carefully, he cleared his throat and shouted, "_Protego!"_, setting a large, invisible wall on the path right where it met the road. Ginny smiled her approval, as Mrs. Weasley came outside in a hurry, her own wand drawn.

"Such rudeness!" she exclaimed, raising her wand to the sky and muttering some incantations, setting certain protections around the house. "We've lost people, been through hell and back, and all they want to do is sell copies!"

Ginny met Harry's gaze, and both agreed silently that it would probably be best to slip inside and get to work on the chore list before they caught her mother's rage as well.

* * *

The sky was dark outside as the whole Weasley family and Kingsley Shacklebolt finished the rather large dinner that Mrs. Weasley had worked on nearly the whole afternoon. The new interim Minister had brought along a few bottles of Firewhiskey, and so as the dishes were cleared away, two of the bright red bottles were floating along the wide table, filling everyone's glasses.

"Thank you again Minister, for joining us," Mr. Weasley started, stopping when he saw Shacklebolt's hand rise.

"Please. No formalities, no sir's, no Mr. Minister, not from anyone here," he said pointedly as he took a sip from his glass. "This family has saved my life countless times, and we've worked together so long that I am nothing more than your friend Kingsley," he said with a smile. "Now, for the reason I'm here, though dinner was a treat in and of itself Mollie."

Mrs. Weasley beamed.

"I've come to ask a few favors of a few of you," he said slowly, watching as everyone perked up and paid attention. "Arthur, I'd like to promote you to the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement department. It'll mean a little more work, but I need people I can trust to help me rebuild the Ministry."

Arthur Weasley nodded, and everyone in reach surrounded him with back pats and hugs before Shacklebolt continued.

"Charlie, I know you love your work with dragons, but I was wondering if an offer to head up the Department for Regulation of Magical Creatures would be enough to have you move back home permanently," he asked with a smile. "And Percy, you've been at the Ministry for a long time, but it's time you stopped being everyone's assistant. Any job you want, it's yours, except for mine of course," he said, laughing loudly and shaking hands with Charlie and Percy as they agreed and accepted.

"Now, George, I know I won't get you to leave your joke shop, but I know that you have quite a bit of items there that aren't all about humor. I'd like to work out a contract between you and Ministry to provide the Aurors and support staffs with certain items that can help with self-defense and the search for any remaining Death Eaters."

George smiled widely and nodded, reaching his hand out to shake Kingsley's. "You have yourself a deal Minis, I mean Kingsley." When the minister brought his hand back, everyone had a giant laugh; George had somehow turned Kingsley's whole palm a bright shade of neon green. Mrs. Weasley almost started in on him for the joke, but she was waved off by Kingsley.

"Lastly," he started, looking at Harry, Ron, and Hermione in turn, "I would also like to offer the lot of you jobs at the Ministry, but I was told earlier today that you all are returning to Hogwarts this year." He continued as each of them confirmed this.

"A wise choice, but my offer will still stand. Harry, Ron, I know that you both wanted to be Aurors, and if that is still the case next year, I will personally see to it that you are accepted. So much of our Auror force has been depleted in the last few years that having you boys there will help quite a bit, and seeing as you've had years of training and experience already, there would be no trouble accelerating you through the normal training process."

"Now Hermione, I've heard of your brilliance, and especially your work at promoting S.P.E.W. When you've finished at Hogwarts, come talk to me and we can work on finding you a position in Magical Law, or even Creature or Muggle Relations."

All three had a stunned look on their faces, but they turned to smiles as they looked at each other. These were the jobs they had been talking about for years, and being told that the jobs they wanted were theirs was extremely exciting.

The dinner party went on for a while longer, the conversation turning to a range of topics from plans for rebuilding Hogwarts, to how the England/Ireland Quidditch league was going to look this year.

Sometime in the middle of all that, Harry caught Ginny's eye, and the two of them excused themselves and left the table, walking outside into the cool night's air.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Please leave any comments or criticisms if you have them, or ideas you'd like to see!_


	3. Alone at Last

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. All ideas for this continuation are my own._

_Thank you guys for all the favs and views! I know the first two chapters were kinda dry, but they set up a lot of the plot for later on. I promise this chapter will have more personality!_

**Chapter 3 - Alone at Last**

It was a cool evening as Harry and Ginny made their way down the back path from the Burrow's back door. They walked close, side by side, but even with the short moment they had earlier in the day, the situation now felt awkward to Harry. He knew that they were about to have a long discussion, about what they were feeling and what they wanted, and he hoped that Ginny was feeling the way he was.

They stopped after a minute or so under a large oak tree near the swimming pond. Neither of them had said anything yet, but their choice of location came easily enough. They had talked here a lot the previous summer, before Harry had decided to leave on the hunt for the Horcruxes.

Harry sat down with his back to the large trunk, and Ginny did the same, her hand coming to rest on his leg. The smell of flowers wafted over to him as she laid her head on his shoulder. With a smile, he took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"I've missed you Ginny," he said quietly as he looked down at her. "The whole past year, I… well let's just say that I thought about you every day, every night. I wanted the whole thing to just be a nightmare that I could wake up from and just be with you."

Ginny nodded on his shoulder, a small smile on her face. "Funny, that's pretty much how I felt…" Lifting her head, she maneuvered around Harry's legs so that when she was finished, she was sitting cross-legged between his, looking across at him and still holding his hands.

"Every day I woke up with this deep sense of dread in my stomach," she continued, "hoping that I wouldn't be hearing news that you'd been captured, or killed. A little piece of me died a few days ago, when Hagrid brought you and Voldemort said you were dead, Harry."

There were tears in her eyes, and she looked close to breaking down and sobbing, but she continued. "Harry, I don't want you to ever leave me again, and I don't want to let you out of my sight until you promise m-me…" she sputtered out, and the tears started to flow.

Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer. Ginny buried her face in his chest, letting herself have the long cry that she'd been keeping in over the last few days. He could feel a large spot of tears forming on his shirt, but that mattered not to him. Not really knowing what to say, he ran his hand up and down her back, trying to comfort her. He let his chin rest on top of her head lightly, kissing the top of her head every so often, and taking in that sweet smell of flowers that he had come to love about her.

After a few minutes, Harry looked down and put his hand under her chin, lifting it up slowly. Ginny looked up at him with puffy eyes and tears on her cheeks. With a gentle smile on his face, he slowly wiped away her tears. It pained him to see her like this, but there was something beautiful about the way she looked when she cried. He knew then that he would do anything to make her happy, and to be there for her when things went wrong.

"I promise you Ginny," he said softly, planting a kiss on her forehead, "I will never leave you again. Wherever I go, I'll take you with me. Whatever I do, I'll make sure you're right there beside me. You'll know exactly where I am all the time," he looked down at her with a gentle smile, as he held her close, "and I'll be there every morning when you wake up."

Ginny smiled weakly and sniffled, before she reached a hand up to the side of his face and leaned in to kiss him. It was a short kiss, a thank you sign, but as their lips parted and they looked into each other's eyes, they both leaned in for another.

It was tender and thrilling at the same time; this kiss wasn't driven by heavy hearts and sadness. Their noses flared every so often as they took breaths, both sets of eyes closed to enjoy everything. Harry felt her tongue pressing against his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he gladly let her in, their tongues exploring hot and steamy mouths for what seemed like forever.

When they finally came up for air, Ginny laid her head back against his chest, one hand up on the other shoulder. "I'm going to hold you to that promise, Potter," she said with a smile, and snuggled into him some more as they sat there in the night, letting the light breeze wash over them.

* * *

Inside, most of the Weasley's had trudged off to bed, and Ron had just walked into his and Harry's room and sat on the bed with a thump. His mind was running around in circles with all that had happened the last few days, and all the news he had received.

Head Boy, and possibly an Auror in the future. It was a lot to consider, but somehow his mind kept bringing him back to Fred. Even knowing what Fred would have said to jest with him about it all didn't help, and he slowly sunk into a deep pool of gloominess. He closed his eyes and fell back, laying on his bed.

He didn't even hear the small _pop!_ a few moments later as Hermione apparated into his room. She looked at him laying there, and the tears she had started crying in her and Ginny's bedroom continued to come. Hermione had hoped to come up here for Ron's comfort, but it seemed like they would have to help each other.

"Ron, are you ok?" she asked softly.

Ron's eyes opened quickly as he felt Hermione sit down on his bed and put her hand on his leg. Seeing who it was, he made room for her and tried to clear his face a bit, not wanting to cry in front of her. As he noticed her tears, he couldn't help but to smile. She looked beautiful; her hair was straight and long, with a gentle wave or curve to it. _Curves_, she had those too he thought. After so many years of knowing her, he wondered how he had never seen how wonderful she was until the past year or so.

"Why are you smiling Ron?" she asked softly, knowing that he had to be in as much pain, or even more than she was.

"I'm smiling because we made it, and we're here together. I'm smiling because even when you're crying, you are beautiful, and I can't help it."

She sniffled a bit, her heart touched by his words. Without any words, she lifted his head a bit and shifted around so that his head was in her lap. Clearing her face a bit, she looked down at him with a small smile. "Do.. do you mean that?" she asked.

Ron nodded, taking her hand in his and playing with it, their fingers intertwined. They sat like that for a while, looking at each other and thinking. Hermione found herself playing with his hair idly. It had gotten fairly long in the last year or so. "I like your hair like this," she said with a smile. "You look good."

He looked up at her with a smile. "Oh yeah? And why should I listen to you on the matter?" he asked, in a teasing voice.

His answer came in the form of Hermione leaning down and kissing him. There had been a lot of kissing in the last few days for them, but this one was by far the most passionate. They could feel each other's nose breaths on their cheeks, and after a bit they let go gently.

Their eyes connected, and he smiled. "Well, erm, that's as good of a reason as any…"

Hermione grinned and nudged him playfully. "Cheeky bugger."

Ron sat up and leaned against the wall, pulling her closer to him so that she was sitting between his legs, her back against him. He enjoyed this, the smell of her hair and their closeness. They sat there silently for a bit, enjoying each other until Ron spoke up.

"Hermione, I… ok this might not come out right, but…" he started, trailing off.

She took his hand, squeezing it. "What is it?"

"Well, I guess I just wanted to know what I am to you… I like you, a lot really, and I wanted to know if I should just be treating you like a friend, or something more?" he asked, quietly with a trace of timidity in his voice.

Hermione smiled to herself. "Ron, you will always be my friend," she started, feeling his shoulder slump a tiny bit, "but yes, I do want this to be something more…". She squeezed his hand again. "Can I call you my boyfriend, Ronald Weasley?"

Ron nodded and smiled, though she couldn't see it. "Yes Hermione," he said, kissing her neck, "you can."

They kissed again, and again, for what seemed like hours. As they both started drifting off to sleep, Hermione removed her sweater and laid beside him in her pajamas, curling up next to him so they were face to face. Ron wrapped his free arm around her, and rubbed her back lightly until they both were asleep.

* * *

Morning broke out over the Burrow, and the sunlight woke Harry again this morning, peacefully though. He blinked a few times, then looked around. He could feel something in his lap and looked down to find Ginny laying there, asleep and with a smile on her face.

They had stayed up talking for a long time the night before. After coming back into the house from outside, and realizing everyone had went to bed, they got comfortable on the couch, not wanting be apart and still having a lot to say to each other. Somewhere along the way Ginny had laid down on the couch and he had been playing with her hair, and they both fell asleep that way.

The smell of bacon and french toast wafted into the living room, and Harry realized that Mrs. Weasley was up, and had probably seen them. He noticed a blanket over the two of them as well, and was puzzled until she walked into the room.

She must have seen the panicked look on his face, because her face melted into a very warm smile. "I came down in the middle of the night and found you two there," she said with a whisper. "It's perfectly fine dear, I know nothing happened. You two belong together anyway," she said, putting a hand to her heart as she looked at Ginny sleeping peacefully. "Breakfast will be ready soon, if you want," she said, nodding at Harry before going back into the kitchen.

Harry smiled and leaned his head back on the couch. It felt good to have Mrs. Weasley's approval, he did love Ginny like nothing else but also didn't want it to cause an issue with her family.

Ginny shifted in her sleep, and Harry realized quickly that she was about to fall onto the floor. He quickly grabbed her hip and pulled her back, but the motion woke her up. As he finished pulling her back onto her back, she smiled up at him with a sleepy face and yawned a bit. "Good morning," she said softly. The way she said it brought a wave of love and warmth through Harry, and he knew that he wanted to wake up like this for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, Ginny realized how they had slept, and where. She sat up straight and panicked. "Oh god," she said, looking all around. "Mum saw us, didn't she…".

Harry couldn't help but chuckle, and Ginny looked at him with a stare and poked his cheek. "Why aren't you a toad? Mum said she'd turn anyone who tried to take advantage of me into a toad, and I'd be locked up in my room for ages…"

She was rambling, and Harry just put a finger to her lips. "Gin, it's all right…" he said, motioning towards the kitchen. "Your mum said so… and where do you think the blanket came from overnight?" He smirked and kissed her on the cheek. "Although, if you want me to be a toad, I guess…"

Ginny looked around again, blushing and then grabbing a throw pillow to hit him with. She had this wild look in her eyes, a cross between amusement and wonder at her mother's actions.

Harry saw it and smiled, loving the passion inside her. He got up and offered his hand to her. "Come on, breakfast?" he asked.

She smiled and hit him with the pillow one more time, aiming for his rear, before taking his hand and standing up. Harry pulled her into himself, and leaned in for a kiss. It wasn't a very long one, but not short either, and when it was over, Ginny smiled up at him. "Well Potter, you've kept your promise so far…" she said, and with that she grabbed his hand and walked into the kitchen with him.

* * *

_Thanks for reading everyone! I'm so glad that so many people are reading this, it's definitely encouraging me to write more. If you like what you've seen so fair, please favorite or review - I also want to know what YOU all want to see in this story, so either leave it in a review or PM me!_


	4. Two Kinds of Grief

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. All ideas for this continuation are my own._

_This chapter is going to begin just a few minutes after the end of the previous one. I know it's a lot about just a few days time, but these chapters are going to set plots in motions for quite a while down the road._

**Chapter 4 - Two Kinds of Grief**

"Ron, wake up! Breakfast is getting cold already!"

Ron grumbled at the sound of his mother knocking on his door. He had been hoping to sleep in today, but that didn't seem to be in the cards for him. "Allright… allright…" he mumbled at the door, groaning as he contemplated opening his eyes for the first time that day.

He shifted his weight around, feeling something soft next to him. This caused him to wake up quite suddenly, realizing that the something soft was Hermione. Turning his head a bit, he saw her laying there next to him, awake and smiling.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle at the look on his face. "Good morning Ron," she said with a grin still on her face.

Ron looked at her a bit sheepishly for the way he had gotten startled. "Good morning 'Mione…" he said, rubbing his face with a palm. "Did Mum wake you too?"

She grinned propping herself up on an elbow and shaking her head. "No, I've been up for a bit. I was, umm, " she stopped and blushed a little, "watching you sleep and kind of daydreaming."

Ron stared at her, his mouth slightly opened as if he were surprised, but then he smiled, leaned over and brought her into a kiss. It was short and sweet, and they were both smiling at the end of it. "That's sweet, but what you see in me, I have no clue. So, I'm just gonna keep doing what I'm doing, and consider myself lucky."

Hermione grinned and pushed him back playfully into his pillow. "Ronald Weasley, sometimes you…" she trailed off with a look of mirth on her face, shaking her head. Leaning in over him, she planted another kiss on his lips, then sat up straight.

"I should probably Apparate down to Ginny's room and come downstairs from there," she said, getting out of bed and standing up. "There'd be too many questions…"

Ron nodded, stretching his arms up. "Yeah, and as much as I wouldn't care about them from everyone, it's Mum we should be worried about," he said with a playfully ominous tone in his voice.

Hermione grinned and nodded, then turned on the spot and vanished into thin air with the quietest of pops.

* * *

Downstairs, Ginny and Harry had nearly finished with their breakfast and were discussing what they wanted to do that day. Nearly everyone else in the family had trickled down from their bedrooms to grab something to eat before heading off to work. Mr. Weasley, Charlie, and Percy all looked rather excited, mentioning a meeting they were each going to have with Minister Shacklebolt that day.

George looked equally as excited to get back to work at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. The store had been shut down for most of the last year, and he was itching to clean up the place and restock so it could open soon. Mrs. Weasley looked at him for a bit while he talked, worry plainly evident on her face. Ginny caught her eye, and nodded lightly.

Seeing Harry's puzzlement, Ginny leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Mum's been worried about George; with Fred gone and everything. I think it's a good idea for him to get back to work, it'll make him happier than just sitting around here all day long."

Harry nodded, knowing that it was going to be tough for everyone for a while. Bill and Fleur came downstairs after a bit as well, making plans to get all of their things cleaned up and packed. Mrs. Weasley frowned a bit at this news as well. It was obvious that she wanted to be able to keep an eye on her whole family after the events of the last year, but she seemed resigned to the fact that everyone needed to live their own lives. Her mood seemed to improve greatly when the couple that they were going to look for a new home closer to work and the Burrow than all the way out at Shell Cottage.

Finally, Hermione and Ron joined them at the table after everyone else had left. Both of them had smiles on as they sat next to each otherand Ginny looked pointedly at Hermione as she raised an eyebrow. Hermione just kept on smiling over at her, with a look that meant they'd talk later.

From the fireplace in the next room, they could all hear a _Whoosh!_. Mrs. Weasley set down the pan she had been magically scrubbing and went to go see who it was. Harry, who was sitting at the end of the table, could just barely see into the room. It seemed as if Mrs. Weasley was talking to the fireplace, but he knew that she was getting a message from somebody through the Floo Network.

They could all hear the booming voice they knew to be Kingsley's, but none of them could make out what was being said. The conversation was over quickly, and before they heard the emerald green flames die out, Mrs. Weasley was back in the kitchen. There was an amused look on her face as she stood near the table, looking at the 4 of them sitting there.

"What is it Mum?" Ron asked, before stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth. The others were all curious as well, and looked at Mrs. Weasley expectantly.

She smiled, still somewhat amused. "Well, it seems that the lot of you have some letters arriving today. Quite a lot of letters actually," she said, trailing off. Seeing the quizzical looks from them, she continued. "Kingsley wanted to tell us personally that Hogwarts and the Ministry were going to be sending over all the mail you lot have been accumulating over the past few days. He said there's a couple hundred letters and packages so far from admirers, fans, letter of thanks, all sorts. He also said not to worry about any tampering, the Ministry's already gone through everything and that no letter hexes, solutions, or anything else like that should have gotten through."

As she finished speaking, they could all hear a loud _Pop!_ in the living room. Everyone headed in there, to find nearly a dozen large cloth bags on the floor, bursting at the seams with letters and packages.

"Wow," and "Oh…" were about the only things that anyone could say for a full minute as they tried to comprehend the amount of letters and parchment scrolls in front of them. Even Mrs. Weasley, who usually had something to say, was silent.

As the quartet sat down on various armchairs and couches, they started peering into all the bags. Hermione was looking around all of them, a concentrated look on her face. "Guys, there's easily a thousand letters here…" she said, a look of wonder on her face.

"This is incredible," Ron said, reaching for a letter with his name on it and ripping the envelope open to read it. He started laughing almost immediately. "Mrs. Gertrude Barnswallow of Tinworth congratulating me on my role in defeating You-Know-Who, and inviting me to dinner some night so she can hear what happened first-hand."

Everyone started laughing with him, and pretty soon all of them were searching through bags for ones addressed to them. Mrs. Weasley had a thoughtful look on her face, and after asking them all to hold on for a second, she jabbed her wand at the large sacks. Letters and parchment rolls flew around the ceiling for a few seconds, and then all dropped into neat piles near each of them.

Harry's pile was, of course, bigger than anyone else's, but Hermione and Ron still had about a hundred letters each, and Ginny's pile was nothing to laugh at. There was a separate stack of letters off to the side for the rest of the Weasley family, and these Mrs. Weasley picked up and and carried into the kitchen, leaving the four friends to pick through their mail.

They all smiled at the thank you letters, reading some bits out loud, though the sound of rustling paper was the most prevalent. Each of them received requests for endorsements of wizarding products, and plenty of requests for interviews and rights to biographies. All four received a letter from Rita Skeeter as well, asking, politely for a change, for them to contact her about an "opportunity to make mountains of Galleons."

"Good grief," Hermione said with a smirk on her face. "As if we'd ever partner with that woman on anything."

Harry blushed after reading one of the notes, and Ginny snatched the letter out of his hand before he could stop her. With a short laugh, she brought the tip of her wand to the paper and set it on fire, watching it burn up instantly in a small puff of smoke. She looked at Hermione and Ron, who were looking puzzled back at her. Shrugging, she explained her action. "No one gets to propose to Harry…"

They all laughed, and soon Hermione and Ginny were going through Ron and Harry's mail and giggling together, looking for proposals, picturesand requests for dates. Every one of those went up in flames. Harry and Ron could only grin and look at each other, not wanting to say anything that would set the two of them off.

There were some snide messages as well. Harry read one out to them all which had them snorting and giggling into their hands by the last sentence. "And now that You-Know-Who is gone for good, I hope you will retire quietly and refrain from making a scene wherever you go."

He rolled his eyes as he set the letter aside, watching his best friends grinning. "What are you lot going on about?"

Ginny, who was sitting down on the other end of the same couch, smiledimpishly as she poked Harry's leg with her toes. "What do you say Harry, want to go make a scene in Diagon Alley later on?"

Harry chuckled, "What kind of scene did you have in mind Gin?" he asked teasingly, shifting on the couch so he was closer to her.

Ginny moved closer to him as well, whispering something into his ear that made him blush a bright red. That earned her a kiss, a short and sweet, but chaste one. Ron also got red in the face, but not for the same reason.

"Oi! I get you two are like, back together and everything, but not in public!" he said with a half-scowl on his face.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed, getting up and hitting him with a large rolled up piece of parchment. "Let them be. Besides, it gives us license to do the same," she said, leaning down to him and kissing him as well.

The blush on his face only got deeper, which made them all laugh. It was a good feeling, Harry thought, to be able to sit around and relax with the people that meant the most to him, and not having to worry about the next bit of danger coming their way.

* * *

The rest of the day passed along without anything else exciting or new happening, which suited the four friends pretty well. It was a relaxing day, mostly spent outside in the crisp spring air. Between taking an afternoon swim in the pond, and chasing each other around on brooms most of the afternoon, they were all pretty tired by the end of of the night, and turned in one by one.

As she watched Hermione and Ron walk up the stairs, Ginny realized that they would want to have some time alone again. When she heard the door upstairs close, she leaned over towards Harry, who was sitting next to her, and kissed him on the cheek. "Come upstairs when you're ready," she said quietly, with a small smile.

He nodded. "I'll be there in a bit," he said, looking into the fireplace where there wasn't any fire going.

Ginny stood and placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment before walking up the stairs, stopping for a moment to look back at him. She had noticed that he had gotten into a quiet mood after dinner. He had a lot of things to mull over, she decided, and kept going into her room, knowing that he would join her when he was ready.

Harry stared into the fireplace for a while, the events of the last couple of days and longer playing in his head. The evening crickets had long stopped their chorus of noise when he looked around the room, and realized that it was well past midnight. He sighed, and walked into the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea before heading upstairs.

Just as he had poured some hot water over the tea leaves, he heard feet on the stairs. "I'm sorry, I lost track of time Gi..." he said, looking up and stopping when he saw that it was Mrs. Weasley, dressed in a long housecoat over her sleepwear.

She smiled back at him. "You alright Harry?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I think I am. I was just doing a lot of thinking is all," he said, trying not make it seem all that important.

Mrs. Weasley nodded slowly and took a seat at the table, looking back at him. "Why don't you bring another cup and that pot over dear, I want to talk with you…" she said quietly.

Wondering what this was all about, Harry did as she asked and poured a hot cup of tea for her, setting it in front of her before getting his own and sitting next to her, where she was patting her hand on the bench.

There were a few moments of awkward silence before she spoke. "Harry, I'm worried about you," she said, looking up at him.

Harry was surprised at this. "Ermm, why's that Mrs. Weasley? I mean, for the first time in a year, well my whole life actually, I don't have anyone trying to kill me. I'm going back to Hogwarts, I'll play Quidditch, think about what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. And, well," he said, blushing a little, "Ginny and I are back together, so everything's good, really."

"Those are all external, Harry," she said, lifting her hand and moving it towards him. She continued, "What I'm worried about is what's going on in here, and here," placing her hand on the top of his head, then over his heart.

Harry just stared at her quietly for a moment, then looked off through the window for a bit.

Mrs. Weasley sighed quietly. "Harry, please look at me."

He did, and found her looking directly into his eyes. "Harry, you've been through so much in your life, much more than people ever have to go through, and you're only seventeen. Even before you learned about what happened to your parents, you certainly didn't have a normal and safe childhood. You've lost so much, witnessed many horrible things, had to do so many dreadful things. Most people wouldn't be able to deal with it all."

"Facing Voldemort at eleven, accused of being Slytherin's Heir, accused of cheating your way into the Triwizard Tournament, of lying about Voldemort coming back, laughed at in the papers, losing your godfather and Dumbledore. But Harry, even though each time you came out on top, you stay quiet, composed, sometimes without any emotion."

"Harry I've known you since you started at Hogwarts, and I've seen you every summer since. I've been watching you, and not just here. I've always asked my children about you, in every letter, whenever we speak."

Harry's face showed a little betrayal as she said this, his mind racing through wild thoughts about all his friends blabbering about him.

Mrs. Weasley smiled warmly. "It's not what you think Harry. I was always asking how you were, were you eating enough, sleeping enough, what you were worried about, things like that. Ron never told me a thing, and Ginny, well Ginny has always been protective of you Harry. I remember one time I had been asking Ginny all sorts of questions and she finally had enough, and she said 'Mum, lay off of Harry, ok? I'm keeping an eye on him.'"

She let this soak in for a moment, watching Harry closely. "Harry, what I'm trying to say is this. You can't keep everything inside of you, it's just not good at all. I know you feel guilty about the Battle, asking people to fight while you tried to stop him, but really that's all hogwash. You are a _victim_ to everything that's happened, not the cause of it. Grief is okay Harry, most everyone is grieving right now, but it's the _guilt_ that you need to toss aside. Don't let it consume you Harry, please…"

His eyes stayed with her's for what seemed like ages, and then they started to well up with tears and let loose at the same time. He shut his eyes and the sobbing started. Harry could feel Mrs. Weasley pulling his head down on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. As she did that, he could feel the walls that he had put up in his mind breaking apart, and heallowed them to fall apart. Everything that he had kept bottled up; his parents, Sirius, Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, Fred, all his worries about Hermione and the Weasley's, it all fell away.

Mrs. Weasley didn't say a thing, letting her embrace and the love it represented do all the 'talking'. It took a few minutes for the tears to dry up and the shaking to stop. He finally lifted his head and the hug was broken, and he looked at her. His face was all red and splotchy with stains of tears, but he had a small, genuine smile.

"There we go," she said quietly, with a smile of her own. "That's the smile I was looking for, not the one you used when you were trying to convince everyone you were alright. It suits you Harry, you should use it more often."

He sniffled once, and nodded. "I will. It'll be a lot easier now that I have a true family."

It was Molly's turn to tear up a bit, but the smile on her face stopped it from being anything more than just a few tears. She grabbed a napkin off the table and dabbed at her eyes a bit, then looked back at him. "Thank you Harry, you don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that."

She placed her hands around her cooling cup of tea and looked down for a bit before looking back to him. "You know Harry, I meant what I said this morning. You and Ginny _are_ meant for each other, and I'm not saying that just as a mother about her daughter. You've saved her life a few times, and been so protective and worried about her, and she's done the same for you. She's had a place in her heart for you ever since she saw you that first time you went to Hogwarts. It's meant to be, I believe."

Harry blushed a little. "Now now," Mrs. Weasley said, smiling at that. "You know what I mean, and you know it to be true, so let's not get any more sappy here. Arthur and I are over the moon about you two, and we couldn't be happier about it."

She placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Now if I'm not mistaken, I think Ginny's up in her room waiting for you, unless she's fallen asleep." He blushed again, trying to find a way to tell her otherwise.

Mrs. Weasley grinned. "Don't think I haven't realized that the sleeping arrangements in this house have changed a little. I'm perfectly alright with that, really, as long as I don't hear anything about it," she said pointedly, her eyes catching his. Harry caught her meaning and nodded.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," he said as he stood up to walk upstairs.

"Harry, you should really just call me Mum," she said with a warm smile. "You _are_ part of this family, no matter what's going on between you and Ginny."

Harry smiled and nodded, feeling very much a part of the family with that statement. "Thank you… Mum." With that, he turned and started to climb the stairs.

"Oh Harry," he heard a moment later, and he turned around to look back at Mrs. Weasley.

"Yeah?"

"Even though you're family," she said sipping at his cup of tea, "if I find out you've crossed Ginny, I _will_ have to turn you into a toad." The way she said it and the smile on her face told Harry that she was mostly joking, trying to put him in a good mood before he fell asleep, but he couldn't help but wonder if she really meant it.

He grinned, and nodded. "Right."

A minute later, he was in Ginny's room, quietly closing the door behind him. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the dark, and saw that Ginny was in bed, asleep by the looks of things. He smiled, and with a wave of his wand changed his clothes to pajamas, and crawled into bed next to her. Noticing that she didn't wake, he smiled and put his arm around her, bringing himself all the way to her back. He laid there against her for a moment, taking in the smell of her hair before kissing the back of her head and whispering, "Good night, Ginny," and drifting off himself.

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Next chapter we'll be taking a trip to Diagon Alley, and there's more than just one surprise waiting there for Harry. Stay tuned!_


	5. Fortunes

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book._

**Chapter 5 - Fortunes**

Other than a few incidents with over-zealous reporters wanting to talk to Harry, Hermione, Ron and some other Weasley family members, the next few weeks at the Burrow were as relaxing as Harry could ever remember. After taking care of chores each day as assigned by Mrs. Weasley, the three of them spent their time lounging about outside by day and in the living room or their own rooms by night. Ron was spending a good amount of time each day helping George out at the store, which was scheduled to re-open in a few week's time.

Harry had never been at the Burrow in late spring before, and enjoyed the cooler weather here much better than the heat of summer that he was used to. He was also enjoying all the time he and Ginny had to spend together. The two were inseparable from morning until night, and more often than not they slept together in Ginny's room, after Mrs. Weasley had told Harry that she knew of all the room switching.

Ginny and Hermione had blushed furiously when Harry mentioned it and Ron had a strange look about his face. Although, his was probably the result of the thought of his mother knowing and the thought of his little sister and Harry sharing a bed as well.

One morning, after everyone had left, Hermione, Ginny and Harry agreed that while there was quite a bit to do around the Burrow, cabin fever was starting to set in.

"How about we go visit Diagon Alley?" Ginny thought out loud. "Dad said that it was starting to get back to normal over there and we can see if George and Ron are messing around, instead of actually working like they say they are."

They all had a laugh at that, Hermione especially. "If Ron's hiding away there every day so he doesn't have to spend time with me, I'd have to hex him…" she said in a matter-of-fact tone, but the grin on her face betrayed her speech. "Besides, if stores are opening back up, we could start getting everything we need for school."

She saw the look on their faces and grinned. "Trust me, it's not like I'd rather be back at Hogwarts right now, but wouldn't it be better to get some stuff out of the way now before the rest of the school gets their letters and make a mad rush to shop?"

Harry agreed with her. "I see your point. I should stop at Gringott's too, they keep sending me owls. Even though we don't know all the books we'll need, you and I do need to replace a lot of things that we lost or left behind in places while we off hunting Horcru…"

He stopped mid-word at Ginny's expression. "Everything ok Gin?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded a bit.

"Yes, Im sorry. I just don't like thinking about that word is all," she said quietly, and both of her friends understood why. Harry had told the girls and Ron about everything that had happened, including his decision to allow himself to be 'killed' by Voldemort so that the final Horcrux attached to his soul could be broken. He hadn't mentioned that part of the story to anyone, not even Mrs. Weasley or Professor McGonagall, until a few nights ago while they were all sitting around a small campfire they had made.

Hermione and Ron had taken it as well as he thought they would, but Ginny had burst into tears. It had taken the three of them quite a bit of time to calm her down and for the rest of the night she held onto Harry's arm as if he would disappear on her.

Harry nodded and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry, I'll try not to bring it up again."

Ginny shook her head. "No, it's ok, really. I just have to get used to the fact that you are the Boy Who Lived, Twice." Her smile was wide with that but Harry could tell that she was still mulling over things in her mind.

* * *

A few minutes later, with wands in their pockets, the three of them stepped out of the fireplace at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes one by one. They didn't see anyone at first, but heard noises from the nearby back room. Hermione poked her head past the curtain, and grinned at the sight of Ron halfway up a small ladder, using his wand to float a rather large box of spare parts down to the ground.

When he saw her there he lost his train of thought for a moment and the box of parts came crashing down the last two or three feet to the ground. The sound brought the others looking and they had a laugh while helping Ron pick everything up.

"What's all this?" George asked, poking his head back and scowling. He looked at the sight before him and laughed. "Well Ron,if I had wanted help trashing the place again I could've asked the Death Eater's to come back…"

Ron flushed, but before he could say anything Harry spoke up, grinning. "Sorry George, we were just going to do a bit of shopping and used your fireplace to travel."

George waved him off. "Fine by me, just don't leave any soot on the carpets; I had a professional cleaning witch in here yesterday and she billed me an amount that's gonna take a while to recover from." He looked pained as he said it, though they could tell he was in good spirits.

As Harry, Ginny and Hermione stepped out of the store and looked around, they were pleased to see that the Alley was slowly returning to it's former glory. It seemed as if all the major stores were already re-openedand that most of the others had signs out saying they'd be back soon enough. They walked down the street a little, chatting happily. Harry had hoped to see Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor open but it was still shuttered tightly.

Hermione mentioned something about getting some books to read and headed off to Flourish and Blotts, leaving Ginny and Harry to wander for a bit.

"Hey Harry," Ginny said as they walked along, "didn't you say you needed to stop at Gringotts?"

Harry nodded, his lips pressed together. "I do, they keep sending me letters saying that I need to stop in to talk about my account, but I'm worried about, well, you know…"

Ginny understood what he meant almost instantly. "Oh, when you guys broke in," she said quietly. "Well, honestly Harry I think it'll be ok. From what Mum and Dad say about the Gringott's goblins, they don't tend to hold grudges really. For them, it's all about contracts and such. Besides, you only stole the cup right? I'm sure they'll understand why you did it."

He nodded again, still anxious about it. "Alright, let's go then."

Once inside the bank, Harry looked around and was amazed; the whole place looked just as it did before they had ripped through the lobby on the back of that half-blind dragon. He noticed a few of the goblin tellers and accountants looking down at him from their desks as they made their way to the reception desk, some of them scowling.

Since there were no alarms going off, or guards rushing at him, Harry breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the Goblin behind the desk when it came to his turn. "Ah, Hello. Ermm, I'm Harry Potter and I need to make a withdrawal from my vault and I was sent a few letters saying that there was a matter that needed to be discussed?"

The goblin sitting there appraised Harry with a long stare, before nodding. "Yes Mr. Potter, it is good to see you. We do indeed have a few things that need to be handled. Very well, I can arrange a trip down to your vault momentarily and then we will have you speak with an estate banker."

_Estate banker,_ Harry thought over in his head, wondering what was going on. He looked over at Ginny, who was equally as confused and shrugged. The goblin was being just a little too courteous for Harry's liking, he had been expecting some sort of demand to repay the bank for the damages.

As they headed down the corridor to the cart system, they heard a voice behind them. Ginny smiled as she looked behind her. "Hi Bill," she said and Harry was relieved immediately. He had forgotten Bill and Fleur worked here.

"Hi guys. Whatcha' here for?" Bill asked, as a Gringott's goblin walked towards them and summoned a cart.

"Mr. Potter wishes to withdraw from his vault, Mr. Weasley," the goblin said with a wheezy voice.

Bill looked from the goblin and then to Harry. He must have seen some sort of worry on Harry's face because he started for the cart with a smile. "I'll join you lot then. I'm on my break anyway and I haven't had a good ride down to the vaults in a while, Brodock."

Brodock looked at Bill and scowled. "Very well sir, though it will be a tight squeeze for us all."

Ginny giggled as she stepped into the cart, holding her hand out to Harry. "That's alright, I can sit on Harry's lap."

Harry blushed as he saw Bill's grin, and wrapped his arms around Ginny's middle as the cart made it's way down the track. None of them tried to say anything on their way down the caves and tunnels, they wouldn't have been able to with how loud the cart was scratching on the track.

They stopped in front of Harry's vault and piled out as Brodock held his hand out for Harry's key. As he opened the vault, Harry wished for a moment that Bill and Ginny weren't here to see it. He knew the topic of money was a touchy one with the family. He quickly walked into the vault and looked around, seeing that nothing seemed to have been touched.

After a minute or so Harry reckoned he had wedged a good supply of Galleons, Sickles and Knuts into his money bag and stepped out to where the rest of them were. His eyes didn't meet theirs as they clambered back aboard the cart for the ride back to the surface. Noticing this, Ginny looked back at Harry as the cart started to move and gave him a smile. Harry smiled himself, knowing that she knew what he was feeling.

* * *

As they were leaving the cart room, a witch wearing the same colored robes as Bill walked over to the group and introduced herself. "Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley, it's good to meet you. I'm Larissa McEndry, one of the estate bankers here. She smiled at Bill to acknowledge him and he nodded back. "If you would follow me please, we can talk in Estate Records Room."

Harry followed the witch and when he realized that Ginny nor Bill were following, he looked back.

"Ah, perhaps it's best it just be you Harry," Bill said with a hand on Ginny's shoulder. "These are private things."

Harry shook his head. "No, it's alright. I tell Ginny everything and you work here. You might be able to help me out with things I don't know." He smiled at the both of them and they followed, Ginny slipping her hand into his as they entered the right room.

The two younger ones couldn't help but to look around the room like children at a sweets shop. The room reminded Harry of his amazement the first time he had stepped into the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The room here was just as big and was covered wall to wall with filing cabinets that were opening, closing, and resizing themselves as files flew magically between them, going in and out of slits in the stone wall to other offices.

The banker witch took a seat at one of the many desks and motioned for the others to sit across from her with a smile. "Well then Mr. Potter, firstly I have to thank you for what you've done, in regards to ridding us of You-Know-Who." Her warm smile eased Harry's mind.

"Even though you were part of one of the only two break-in's in the bank's history, I have been asked to tell you by our Head Banker that no charges will be filed, or fees assessed against you." She looked at Bill with a smirk and Bill smiled serenely back at her. Harry watched the two of them and decided that Bill had definitely had something to do with what he had just been told.

"Now, on to the matter at hand. I apologize Mr. Potter, our records the last few years have been slipping, especially with all that has happened. The letters you'vebeen receiving should have been sent right after your 17th birthday, when you rightfully inherited several vaults and estates here."

Harry looked at her, surprised. "Umm, several?"

The blank stare on his face brought a smirk to the banker's face. "Yes, Mr. Potter. As you know, your parents left you your vault, in the event of their demise. This vault however, did not contain all of your parent's worth. Since you are now of age, you are now the the owner of the Potter Family Vault, number 486."

Larissa raised her wand and pointed it at a filing cabinet and caught the file folder that flew at her. She opened the file and began to review it. "The Potter Family account currently contains almost three times the amount in your personal account, along with various artifacts, family heirlooms and possessions they brought here for safe keeping in the months before their passing. All the stored possessions have been appraised in recent years and have been valued at almost one hundred and fifty thousand galleons."

"In addition, the estate also contains your parent's homes and properties. There is of course Potter Manor and the house in Godric's Hollow. Your father's parents also left to him a house outside of London and a flat within London proper, not far from the Ministry actually. There are also a few tracts of land around the country that are now yours, none of which have been used or built upon. Outside of Great Britain there are three properties, a beach house in the south of France, a cabin in Canada and a condominium on Grand Cayman Island."

Harry looked at the banker, with what had to be a stunned look on his face. He had never known much about his parents or his father's family. Looking over at Ginny, he saw a look of shock on her face that had to have matched his own. The edges of her mouth were curled upward in a sort of smile as she looked over at Harry, obviously very happy for him. Bill was trying to not to meet his eyes and Harry had the sneaking suspicion that Bill had know about this for a while.

"Now then, Mr. Potter, if you will just sign here, acknowledging receipt of the estate," she said sliding a form over to him. Harry recovered enough to sign where he needed to. As he finished his signature a tray appeared on the desk in front of him. Five sets of keys were laid on the tray with a tag attached to each.

Harry didn't get much of a chance to look at these as Larissa opened another file and looked through it. "This next inheritance is from the Snape estate."

Ginny spoke up seeing the look on Harry's face. "Snape left something to Harry in his will?"

The other witch nodded. "Indeed. The Snape estate is not very large, and as he was the last of his line, the professor drafted his will to award most of his savings and properties to Hogwarts. However, he did leave to Mr. Potter a sum of three thousand Galleons and this letter."

Harry took the letter and held it for a moment, thinking about what had to be in it's contents. He laid it next to the tray to read later and signed the form that had been placed in front of him.

"Very good," the witch said as she brought forth one more file folder, this one looking very heavy with a good amount of parchment stuck inside of it. They could all see the anticipation on the witch's face as she opened the folder.

"Harry, this estate is the Black family estate. As you know, your godfather Sirius was the last of his name," she said looking over to Harry who just nodded. "You were already informed that he had left Number 12 Grimmauld Place and his personal savings to you in his will. However, not until very recently, when we were able to research fully and procure proper documentation, were we able to total the full amount of the Black estate."

The witch looked as if she was very excited as she went through the file. "I'm sure you know Harry, that the Black family was very proud of it's pure-blood heritage for many centuries. Because of this, the Black family has been linked by marriage to over 5 dozen wizarding families over the years. As families died out, and most recently as members were found guilty of charges and sent to Azkaban, the Black Family vault steadily grew. The Lestrange family inheritance is the most recent to be added. Therefore, the Black Family Vault, one of the oldest and most secure here at Gringott's, now has a total net worth of over ten million galleons, including stored artifacts, possessions and proceeds from sales of properties."

She produced the proper form and slid it in front of Harry, who felt like he was about to pass out from the information. he had heard both Ginny and Bill gasp at the revelation. "I didn't realize…." Bill said quietly with a pale look on his face, one that said he wished he didn't know that information. Ginny was looking at Harry intently, knowing that he was flabbergasted.

With a stoic face, Harry signed the papers and as he put his hands back into his lap, he felt Ginny wriggle her hand into one of his, squeezing it. He squeezed it back silently thanking her.

The banker witch smiled and waved her wand, sending the files back to their homes. "I know it's a bit of a shock Mr. Potter, but it all truly does belong to you. Now, is there anything I can do for you? Any particular instructions as to your accounts?"

Harry slowly found his voice. "Ermm, yes. First, could you please empty the Black vault of it's money and place it in a new account? I'd like to keep all their heirlooms where they are, for now. Please add the money from Professor Snape into my Family's Vault. As for my personal vault that I've been using, I'd like to turn it and all it's contents over to my godson, Teddy Lupin," he said, a small lump rising in his throat.

Ginny smiled at that before giving Harry a hug. He looked at her with a smile of his own. "There's more than enough in there right now for his grandmother to raise him on, plus paying for everything he needs for Hogwarts when he's old enough. Could you please make sure that Andromeda Tonks is made aware and given full access to the vault?" He directed that last bit towards Larissa, who nodded and looked up from the notes she had been taking.

"Very good Mr. Potter. We can take care of that all."

"Ermm, for the money that was in the Black vault, I'll have to get back to you. I don't want it added to my family's vault, but perhaps we can use it in other ways. I'll have to think about it, but I'll be giving a good chunk of that money away to charities. I can send you an owl in a few days?"

"Of course, Harry," Ms. McEndry said, her head bobbing up and down. "anything we can do for you, we're at your service."

* * *

They said goodbye to Bill and walked out of the large building, taking in the fresh air after being inside or underground for almost an hour. Harry looked around for a moment, then headed straight for an unused bench on the sidewalk, and took a seat on it. He closed his eyes and breathed out deeply.

Ginny sat down next to him and wrapped her arm around him, leaning her head on his shoulder and not saying anything. She knew Harry well enough to know when he needed to stew over something in his head by himself. He would eventually talk to her about it and she didn't want to push such a big topic on him.

After a few minutes, Harry opened his eyes and gave her a small smile. She leaned over and kissed him on his cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly.

Harry shrugged. "Talk about what, that I probably just became the richest wizard in Britain? I'm sure the Prophet's going to have a field day with that." He looked around, lost in thought for a moment before looking back at her. "It just bothers me Gin, the way that I got most of that money. People had to die for it to happen. I know that's normally how inheritance works, but all that matter the Black's had, I can't help but wonder how they obtained some of it. It just feels dirty to me."

He sighed, placing his head on Ginny's shoulder. "It feels weird too, knowing I have this much money and really, how am I supposed spend all of it? When I was with the Dursley's I never had anything really and didn't expect to ever have this much. I mean, I'm going to have a job sometime next year too Gin and that's just gonna add to the mountain of gold under us right now."

Ginny picked up his head and held it in her hands, a gentle smile on her face. "So what?" she asked. "Just because you have all this money doesn't mean you have to spend it. You can work and live off the money you make. You're gonna give a lot of it away and that's amazing too. Harry, if anyone deserves what you got today, it's you. Keep it, live your life and give it to your children."

She kissed him on the nose, then pulled him into a tight hug and kiss. As they broke apart, Harry smiled, feeling a lot better and wondering just how in Merlin's name he had found someone he loved so much. He wanted to correct her there, telling her that the money was going to be for their children but he didn't want the conversation to turn awkward. He knew that's what he definitely wanted, to spend the rest of his life with her, he just didn't know how to say it just yet without stuffing it up. He had gained two fortunes today, he knew.

"Thanks Ginny," he said, breathing out deeply.

She grabbed his hand and stood, pulling him up with her. "Don't mention it Harry. Now come on, let's go find Hermione. She's either wondering where we've been or has her head stuck in a book."

Harry grinned. "Probably the book, knowing her."

As they walked back down the street, Ginny looked into the shops around her. "Harry, I hope you know, my feelings for you haven't changed after what just happened. You're still my Harry, my hero," she said looking up at him. "You don't have to go buying me all sorts of expensive presents or anything, though I wouldn't say no…"

She let loose a loud shriek as Harry grabbed her sides and tickled her in response, before pulling her back to him, wrapping an arm around her side. He could tell by the look on her face that she was kidding and trying to lighten the mood. He leaned over and drew her in for a kiss right there in the middle of the street.

They stood there, pressed up against each other, kissing like fools, until the pains in their chests told them they needed to breathe. As they broke apart, there were smiles on both their faces.

"I love you Ginny," Harry said, looking into her eyes as they held each other's hands.

"And I love you, Harry."

* * *

_Thanks for reading everyone! I know these few chapters have been more based around Ginny and Harry, but I promise you'll see more of Hermione and Ron in the next few chapters! Special thanks to my beta reader for their help with each chapter, it's much appreciated!_

_-Midnight_


	6. Just You and Me

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book._

**Chapter 6 - Just You and Me**

Spring quickly made way for summer at the Burrow and towards the middle of June, Harry had just about had enough of the constant badgering he was getting from reporters. Not only was he receiving a few owls a day with requests for interviews, the crowd of reporters and enthusiasts that gathered around the boundaries of the Burrow were taking all the measures they could to get in contact with anyone in the family.

One afternoon as they were walking into the kitchen for lunch, Harry sighed and looked at his three closest friends. "I know I said I didn't want to do any interviews about what happened, but I don't think we're gonna get those people out there off our backs until I do."

Ron nodded. "I hear you mate. That bloke who tried to fly his way past the charms around the house today was a complete nutter."

The girls nodded their agreement. "What were you thinking of, Harry?" Ginny asked as she sat down next to him on the bench, pressed in close to him as was the usual for them now.

He sighed again. "Honestly? I dunno. I don't want it to be this giant event with loads of people shouting questions." Thinking over his options, he started in on the sandwich he had pulled off the platter in front of them. Ginny, Ron and Hermione all recognized the look of concentration on his face, they had all seen it many times before.

Ron turned the topic around to some of the new gimmicks and products that he and George were working on at the shop. Now that the store was reopened and George had found some employees to keep the store running during the day, he spent most of his time in the back rooms working on new ideas.

As Harry finished his sandwich, he looked up and out the window as an idea came to his mind. Without saying anything, he stood up and made his way to the front door. "Two birds with one stone," he said, smiling. "I'll go and talk to them, right now. They can ask me all the questions they want until their faces turn blue, as long as they don't come bothering us here ever again."

Ron gave him a thumbs up, but the women had looks of concern on their faces. "Are you sure Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "There's bound to be some people out there who aren't as happy with you as others are."

Harry shrugged. "I'll be alrightMum, really. And no, you guys don't have to come..." he said as the other three stood up to go with him.

Ginny shook her head firmly. "No choice, Mr. Potter," she said with a smile. "We do this together."

Harry looked to Hermione and Ron and saw the same look of determination on their faces as well. He sighed, then smiled. "Thanks," he said, as he opened the door and they all made their way down the path and driveway.

* * *

Some hours later, the reporters had exhausted all their questions and Harry had delivered a rather stern ultimatum to them all about coming back to the Burrow. As they all started Apparating away, one of them made his way up to Harry. He was a shorter fellow and he carried a briefcase with him.

"Ah, sorry to impose," the man said, putting a large smile on his face. "I'm not a reporter, I promise." This was said quickly, as if he thought Harry and the others would pull their wands out on him. "My name is Walden Quickthistle, and I am one of the managing partners of the Nimbus company. I've come with a deal for you directly from the owners."

This got their attention. What did the company who had created the Firebolt and Nimbus brands want with them? As they all looked at each other the stout man continued.

"As you may or may not know, we've been working on a brand new broomstick design, meant for world-class Quidditch competition, and we'd like to have your endorsement." As he said this he reached into his briefcase. It must have had the same charm on it that Hermione had done with their bags months ago, because in a moment, he had pulled out a standard-sized broomstick, holding it out in front of them. "This, friends, is the Eclipse."

All four of them walked closer to take a look at the broom. It reminded Harry of his Firebolt, but more sleek. The bristles on the back were perfectly manicured and looked almost glossy in the sunlight. The body and handle were wooden, but it looked to have been stained in a dark shade of blue and perfectly polished. Mr. Quickthistle was true to his name and was spouting off facts and details as fast as his mouth could move.

Harry took it all in, looking up at the representative. "You want _me_ to endorse the broom for you?"

"Oh yes Mr. Potter," he said as he bobbed his head up and down, "and not just you, all four of you."

This stunned the lot of them. "All of you are very popular right now, as you saw just minutes ago. It would do my company very well to have all your endorsements, and for your troubles, you would each receive an Eclipse, one of the very first few produced, plus a very generous stipend."

He opened his briefcase once more and pulled out three more of the dark blue broomsticks. Excitement ensued, as all four of the friends looked at each other and agreed silently. Harry, the de facto group leader, agreed with Mr. Quickthistle. The short man was extremely happy and the details of their endorsements were quickly worked out. He left them momentarily to go retrieve a photographer from the company headquarters, so that a slew of banners and advertisements could be made for the release announcement of the new product. He quickly assured Hermione, who wasn't a fan of flying on broomsticks to begin with, that it wouldn't be a problem with him.

He left them there alone for a few moments, each of the four holding their new broomsticks and grinning foolishly at each other. "Harry," Ginny said slowly, "D'you realize that the Gryffindor team is nowgoing to be pretty much unbeatable this year?" She had this wild look in her eyes that Harry had come to love.

"I was thinking the same thing, Gin..." he said.

Even Hermione was appreciating the broomstick, turning it over and over in her hands. "It's beautiful," she said, with her own look in her eyes. Ron smiled and wrapped his arm around her. "Looks like we'll be giving Hermione some flying lessons after all."

* * *

As the days went on, Harry, Hermione and Ginny found themselves wishing there was more for them to do than just lounge around the Burrow and the occasional list of chores. Ron must have been feeling it too, making it a point to be at George's shop every day it was open. They had all made more trips into Diagon Alley, but even that was getting tiring, especially with all the questions and requests for autographs they were getting from random people.

Harry and Ginny had taken a few day trips to visit with Teddy and his grandmother, Andromeda. The little boy wasn't more than two months old, yet he recognized the both of them with a big smile. He had definitely inherited his mother's Metamorphmagus abilities, changing his hair color and style to whoever was holding or playing with him.

Andromeda was glad to have Harry and Ginny's help in watching little Teddy every few days, though she had put up a good resistance to accepting the money Harry had given to them. She was insistent that she had enough money plus what Remus and Nymphadora had left behind, but eventually she had given up on her protests and had hugged Harry so tightly that he was blue from lack of breath afterwards.

One Sunday morning in the middle of June, they were all sitting around in a small grove of trees near the clearing where the Weasley's played Quidditch. Yawns were had all around, they had all stayed up late the night before talking and cuddling in their pairs.

Harry was feeling extremely tired for some reason even though he thought he had slept well. He was laying on the grass and Ginny had pulled his head onto her lap, idly playing with his hair while they chatted.

After a particularly loud yawn Hermione spoke up. "You know, we left quite a bit of stuff behind at Grimmauld Place. Maybe we should stop over there today?"

Harry and Ginny nodded. "Hey that's not a bad idea," Harry said, turning his head to look at Hermione.

"Is it safe though?" Ron asked, stretching his arms up. "I mean, I'm sure the Death Eaters got into it after we had to leave it."

Harry sat up, still leaning a bit against Ginny. "I'm not sure, but there's one way to find out… Kreacher, I need to speak with you!"

A moment passed and then a loud _Crack!_ signaled the arrival of the house elf in the middle of all of them. Kreacher looked around for a moment to get his bearings. "Master Harry called for Kreacher?" he said, looking around at the others and bowing to all of them, including Hermione, surprisingly.

"Yes Kreacher, err, how have you been?" Harry asked, noticing that the little house elf was still looking good and wearing clean clothes as he had been when they had been staying at Grimmauld Place the last summer.

"Kreacher has been well Master Harry. Kreacher has been busy keeping up Master's home and helping at Hogwarts, as Master wished him."

"Err, so Grimmauld Place is safe to visit then?" Harry turned to look at the rest of them with a smile.

"Of course Master Harry. After the unwanted visitors came and looked around Master's home, they left and did not return. Kreacher spent two weeks cleaning up after them, Kreacher did," the house elf said with a scowl, which looked rather scary on his old face.

"Thanks Kreacher," Harry said as he stood, putting out a hand out to Ginny to help her up. "We'll be by there in a little bit."

"Very good Master Harry. Should Kreacher prepare a meal?"

Harry shrugged. "Not sure Kreacher, but maybe. We don't know how long we'll be."

Kreacher nodded and disappeared away.

Hermione smiled. "Well, he's looking good," she said, getting up off the ground and brushing dirt off her jeans.

"Yeah," Ron said with a smirk, "still old and off in the head, but looking okay." He winced at the punch Hermione landed on his arm but still grinned at her. "Hey, okay okay, I'll be nice to him…"

* * *

Thirty minutes later they all apparated to the front step of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Harry had taken Ginny in a Side-Along since she wasn't able to take the test for her own license for a few more weeks. Hermione pushed open the door and Kreacher was there in an instant.

"Master Harry, friends of Master, welcome back to Master's home…" he said with a hint of a smile.

The place did indeed look cleaned up a bit more than it had been the last summer when Harry, Ron and Hermione had hidden out there. Kreacher must have spent some time here, Harry mused, wondering just how much of an impact giving Regulus Black's locket back to Kreacher had done.

They spread out around the house in their pairs, still wary of the fact that there could have been some traps or hexes left behind. After a while, it seemed evident that Kreacher had been true to his word and the lot of them gathered up everything that had been left behind. It took longer than they had originally thought, but once everything was done they were famished. Kreacher, astute even in his old age, had realized this and had a tureen of stew ready for them.

As they were eating, Harry started thinking again. After a few whispers to the others, he cleared his throat. "Kreacher?" he called out, looking at the elf from across the room. The house elf dropped the pot he was cleaning into the sink and made his way to Harry.

"Yes Master Harry? Is everything ok with the stew sir?" he asked, looking anxious.

Harry grinned, "Yes, it's fine, thank you. I was doing some thinking though Kreacher. I'd like for you to take Regulus' room upstairs as your own, instead of sleeping by the heater. Would you be ok with that?"

Hermione was looking at Kreacher very apprehensively, as was Ginny. Giny put a hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed, one of the things she did to show Harry she was behind him all the way.

Kreacher stared up at Harry for a long moment, then croaked out a response. "M… Master Harry is not making a joke is he?"

Harry shook his head and started to say something but Kreacher had already thrown himself to the ground, howling in the usual way a house elf did. It took some doing, but Ginny and Hermione were finally able to get him to relax after about 15 minutes, so overcome with his new room Kreacher was. Harry figured this must have been the straw that broke the camel's back, as the saying went, because Kreacher had let the two ladies touch him as they helped him stand up, not even calling Hermione a 'Mud-Blood' or Ginny a 'Blood-Traitor'.

The house elf looked up at Harry with big eyes and a strange, crooked smile. "Thank you Master Harry, Kreacher shall treasure this gift for the rest of his life."

Harry nodded and smiled. "One other thing Kreacher, and you don't have to answer me right away either. I would be much happier with you doing everything you do for me if I was paying you to do it. So, I'll leave it up to you to think about it, and how much you'd like each week. Deal?"

Kreacher looked at Harry with what could almost be a scowl but it turned into a small smirk. "Master Harry is too generous. A house elf is not needing to be paid. But, as Master Harry wishes, Kreacher will think about it."

The house elf bowed low and then left the kitchen, ostensibly to move into his new room.

Hermione was beaming at Harry. "That was really kind of you Harry. I think you just cemented his loyalty to you."

Harry shrugged. "Maybe. It was the right thing to do," he said, pushing his empty bowl back from his place at the table. "I dunno, just doesn't feel right to have someone serve me all the time. Though," he said with a grin, "being called Master Harry all the time does make one feel pretty important."

Ron burst out laughing as Hermione sighed and shook her head. Ginny was giggling too and made a retort after catching her breath. "As long as you don't expect any of us to call you that, Harry."

* * *

A while later, Harry, Ginny and Ron were relaxing on a couch downstairs in the living room. Hermione had mentioned something about finding one of her books she thought she had left behind and was upstairs. They were talking about the upcoming school year and how much fun it was going to be playing Quidditch again, especially with their new brooms.

Ron, who had grown a little more perceptive in his time with Hermione, kept looking up at the grandfather clock in the room. After a while, he got up and told the other two that he was going to go check on Hermione, since it had been a while since they'd heard anything from upstairs.

After checking in a few of the upstairs bedrooms, he finally found her in the bedroom that she had been using the summer before, sitting on the bed and facing away from the door. It looked to him like she was crying a little and he immediately got worried.

"'Mione? You ok?" He asked quietly, walking into the room and stopping next to her.

She had definitely been crying and wiped her cheek before looking up at Ron with a sad smile. "Yeah, I'm ok. Nothing happened, I just got to thinking about my parents is all."

Ron took a seat next to her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her. He had been meaning to ask her when she was planning to go to Australia and get them back, but he knew it was a touchy subject for her.

Hermione leaned into him, staring at the wall opposite them. "I know that I need to go get them, but I keep thinking of reasons to not do it. What if it's not safe yet to bring them back? What if I get them settled back into their home and the rest of the Death Eater's hiding out there want to strike back?"

She sniffled a little. "I know that it could take months, even years to track them all down, so it really wouldn't be prudent to leave them down there, but…"

Hermione choked up a bit, burying her face into Ron's shoulder. He started to rub her back lightly, trying to comfort her. "You're worried if they're still there, where you left them, and if they're ok. You're worried about what will happen when you restore their memories, if they're going to be mad at you, if they want to stay there…"

She nodded, and murmured into his arm. "and if they like you…" With another sniffle, she raised her head and looked at him. The sadness on her face was like a stab to his heart, he didn't ever like seeing her upset.

"Whatever happens 'Mione, I'll be there with you," he said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Hermione smiled at that. "Ron, you don't have to come with me…"

He shook his head, interrupting her. "Like hell I don't! Of course I'm coming with you. 'Mione, I've had feelings for you for so many years and I just stopped being a prat about it so yes, I'm coming with. I have a lot of time to make up for, when I've come up short for you." A smile crossed his face. "Let's go tomorrow."

She looked at him slowly, a confused look on her face. "Tomorrow?"

"Yeah," he said slowly as if he were someplace else in his mind. "We can take a portkey there, I'm sure Kingsley can set that up for us, and we can go see your parents. We can stay there a few days too, see the beaches, a vacation of sorts. Just you and me."

She regarded him for a moment and then a smile broke out on her face. "Just you and me," she repeated quietly. Wrapping her arms over his shoulders, she pulled him into a passionate kiss. They came up for air about a minute later, but only pulled apart a few inches, leaning their foreheads against each other.

"I love you, Ronald Weasley," she said quietly, looking down at the fingers that had just interlaced with hers.

"I know you do, 'Mione," he said with a smile. "And I love you."

* * *

_Thank you for reading! Please do favorite this story and review if you liked it, every comment and criticism helps me to make this story a lot better! As always, thank you to my beta reader for all your help!_

_If you have any questions, or ideas for the story, please send them by review or PM. I'd like to answer any and all questions directly, or in an Author's Note!_


	7. In Which The Author is a Tease

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book._

**Chapter 7 - In Which The Author is a Tease**

"Oi, careful!" Ron said loudly, sitting on his bed and ducking away from the leather-bound book heading for his head.

His room had been turned into a mess in the last hour or so as Hermione rummaged through both of their things, trying to decide what to pack to take with them. She peeked up from behind the other end of the desk and winced apologetically.

"Sorry Ron," she said before going back through the stack of books she had pulled out of her handbag, "I was meaning to chuck it into the pile of books we don't need. I just need to find that one about memory charms…"

That last part was half-muttered as if she were talking to herself. Ron looked around the room and grinned. He loved it when Hermione had these moments. She could get so one-track minded about things and if it were particularly important to her she got this wild look in her eyes, as if the task at hand couldn't be finished in time.

Of course if he said this to her face he would find himself getting punched, or glared at, so he didn't utter a word. He had already packed a few changes of his clothes into the old duffel bag on which Hermione had casted her Undetectable Extension Charm, had changed into pajamas, and was waiting for her to gather the rest of what she needed before they got some sleep. They had to be up very early the next morning.

"So, tell me again why we have to be up before dawn?" he asked with a loud yawn as he waved his wand lazily, cleaning up and storing things away behind Hermione.

Hermione sighed. "Because Sydney is 9 hours ahead of us Ron," she said, finally finding the book she was after and stuffing it in their duffel bag. "Noon here is nine o'clock at night there so the earlier we leave, the earlier in the day we get there and the faster we can find my parents. We need to get to the Ministry early enough too so we can find Kingsley and get him to approve the Portkey before it gets too busy over there."

She took one more look around the room, then sat down heavily on the bed next to Ron. Taking out her own wand she waved it around with a swish and a flick, sending everything that she had messed up to it's proper place. Laying back on the bed she let loose a long puff of air, as if she were releasing all the pent-up energy she had shown while packing.

Ron smiled over at her and picked her legs up off the floor, bringing them up onto his lap. "So, got everything we need?" he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded. "I think so, and if we need anything in a pinch there's always Paragon Alley."

There must have been a look of confusion on his face, because Hermione broke out into a giggle. "I forget you haven't been down there. They have a near copy of Diagon Alley down there, same owners or something."

Ron smirked. "Let me guess, you enter it from a pub."

Hermione nodded, still grinning. "The Faulty Cauldron."

"Where's the creativity in that?" he asked the ceiling, rolling his eyes.

They sat there like that for a few moment, enjoying the breeze coming through the open window before Hermione piped up, quietly. "Is your Mum ok with this Ron?"

Ron looked down at her with a small shrug and started massaging her feet. "I don't think she likes the fact that I'm going to be gone for up to a week so soon after being gone almost a whole year, but that's just her being protective you know?"

Hermione just nodded, a small small on her face. "That feels good Ron," she said, closing her eyes. Before putting her wand on the bedside table she waved it once and tapped herself. The t-shirt and shorts she had been wearing turned into a tank top and flannel pajama bottoms.

Ron continued to do what he was doing, occasionally rubbing up and down her legs as well. He knew she was feeling anxious, feeling all the tense spots as he worked them out. He could hear little moans escaping her mouth and he had to smile at them. Considering other people's feelings and helping them feel better had never been his strong suit, he knew. He was just glad that he could help Hermione right now and hopefully get her through the next few days.

"Ron, your hands are like magic," Hermione breathed out, enjoying his ministrations. She didn't particularly want him to stop but she wanted him closer and so she reached out a hand to him and pulled him down next to her when he took it. A smile crossed her face as she felt him kiss her cheek. She curled up against him as he turned the light off.

Once they were settled, Ron's hands didn't stop their wandering. He massaged her exposed shoulder and arm for a while before settling his arm around her. As had been their custom the last few nights, he felt for her hand so they could interlace their fingers together. She found his first though and put her hand on top of his, guiding it until it rested between the mounds on her chest.

Ron was surprised at this and smiled to himself a bit before kissing the back of her head. Knowing that she was about to fall asleep he said goodnight to her quietly and closed his eyes as well, letting himself fall asleep.

* * *

It was early in the night still and the Burrow's other new couple were outside in the garden, laying on a blanket. Ginny had her head on Harry's chest and one of her legs over his, using his body like a pillow of sorts. Harry didn't mind this at all, he was quite enjoying the closeness between them.

They were talking on and off, not really having a meaningful conversation. Even during the quiet moments it felt as if they were communicating somehow.

"This is nice," Ginny said quietly as she shifted a bit to look up at him. "Just what I wanted things to be like a year ago, before everything that happened. Just the two of us together, nothing to worry about or be afraid about, no life and death situations. Just two normal people."

He smiled down at her. "I know what you mean Gin'," he said. "I'm about as happy as anyone could be right now. Though," he added as an afterthought, "I don't know exactly how 'normal' we are really."

Ginny swatted his arm in mock protest but giggled all the same. "Harry…" she started to say, before being interrupted by a rather loud owl's hoot.

Just behind them a large, tawny owl landed on the grass with a roll of parchment attached to it's leg. Ginny looked up at the bird with a puzzled look as Harry reached over to untie the letter. As he looked at the front of it the large owl flew away again, stopping to drink a bit at the pond before flying off

The top of the small note was addressed to Harry and he showed it to Ginny, not recognizing who's writing it was.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Ginny asked, eager to see who was sending Harry a message this late.

He unrolled the short note and held it up so that they could both read it by the little bit of light coming from the back porch.

_Harry,_

_I am glad to see that you were victorious over Voldemort and that things are starting to return to normal in the world. I just thought I would let you know that your Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin Dudley are safe and all moved back into their home in Little Whinging. Their time away from home wasn't without it's troubles but everything turned out splendidly and they're glad to be home. I know it is hard to believe, but they do wish to know how you are doing. _

_At your service,_

_Hestia Jones._

Harry could feel the surprise on his face as he read the last sentence in the note. His eyebrow lifted as he read the whole note again, before looking down at Ginny. "Well, that's something I didn't think I'd ever hear. I wonder if Hestia heard them right."

Ginny was smiling. "I don't know Harry, they might have had a change of heart? You should at least stop by so they know you're alright and everything."

Harry set the note aside and wrapped his arms around her again, pondering for a moment. "If they had a change of heart, then it would be some kind of miracle," he said with a smirk.

Feeling the elbow she gave him, he grinned and put his hands up for a moment. "Okay okay, I'll go see them. Tomorrow's a good a day as any since Ron and Hermione are going to be gone."

Ginny nodded on his chest, ruffling his shirt a bit. "I'll come with you, if you want," she said quietly, looking back up at him.

"Why?" Harry asked quizzically. "It's not a particularly nice place and the way they talk about us, magic-users that is…"

"Well, I know whenever you talked about your time there with me it wasn't all that great," she started, "but I do want to see the house and meet them. It's a part of you Harry, and I want to know all about you."

Her cheeks were turning rosy as she said it, the edge of her lips curling up. "Besides, you've seen where I grew up so it's only fair."

Harry grinned and pinched her side, causing her to squirm against him and giggle. "Well, you have me there Gin'. It sure would be nice to have you with me," he said. "I can just imagine the look on Dudley's face when I introduce you as my girlfriend."

This set Ginny into another fit of giggles. Even though Harry had ulterior motives in saying it, she was still extremely happy that he thought that way. With a smile on her face she adjusted herself next to him so they were face to face and leaned in to kiss him. That quick and innocent kiss sparked anotherand another. Soon the two young lovebirds were full on making out.

Ginny had just rolled on top of Harry and was attempting to run her hands under his shirt when she stopped suddenly and scowled. "Mum," she said quietly, rolling back off of him and propping herself up on her elbow. "She's back in the kitchen for whatever reason."

Harry sighed, nodding. "Nice save," he muttered.

Ginny smirked, a gleam in her eye as they looked at each other for a few moments. Without a word to each other they both got up and walked inside, hand in hand.

Minutes later Ginny was guiding Harry into her room, still holding his hand. She closed the door behind them quietly and turned the lock on the knob. Harry smiled as she did this, taking out his wand and pointing it at the door. "Muffliato," he muttered before turning his attention back to Ginny.

She pulled him to the bed with a smile on her face that sent his heart pounding. Within moments they were back in the same position they were before, with Ginny on top. Harry reached up and parted Ginny's hair, tucking it behind her ear. He traced his fingers along her neck lightly before leaning up to plant a few soft kisses there.

Ginny moaned softly as she ran her fingers under his shirt. The sensation of her nails on his skin gave Harry goosebumps up and down his arms. An urge overcame him and he grabbed her shoulders, pulling her down next to him. She squealed a little bit at this but the next moment their lips were pressed together in a fiery kiss. Feeling his tongue begging to be let in, she parted her lips and invited in her guest.

Harry wrapped his arms completely around her and she wrapped a leg around his. All time was lost to the two of them and some time later they fell asleep, wrapped up in each other until morning.

* * *

When the two finally made their way down for breakfast in the morning, they both had smiles plastered across their faces. Glancing up at a clock, Harry could tell they had slept in pretty late.

"Well there you two are," Mrs Weasley said with a smile as she set a platter of pancakes in front of them. "I was beginning to think that you'd sleep the whole day away. Ron and Hermione left a few hours ago."

Ginny tried not to blush. "We were just up late, Mum. Talking about a lot of stuff." She studied the food in front of her like it was a book, trying not to meet her mother's eyes.

Thankfully, Mrs. Weasley's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. "That's nice dear. It looks like we're going to have almost everyone over for dinner tonight," she said. "Bill and Fleur will be here, your father, Percy, George and Charlie too. Should be a nice night tonight too, maybe we'll eat outside. So, any plans for the day?" she asked the two.

Harry gave Ginny a look and she returned it with a smile. "Oh, well I got an owl last night. It seems like my aunt and uncle are all moved back into their house, so Ginny and I decided to pay a visit."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "That's good of you Harry, I'm very proud. Let them know I'm glad they're alright?"

Harry nodded that he would while Ginny scowled, muttering something about it being her idea. He couldn't help but grin and he put his hand on top of hers. That gesture changed her scowl into a smile and they quickly finished up their food.

* * *

Later that day Harry and Ginny appeared in an alleyway near his once-home, the same one in which he and Dudley had been attacked by Dementors a few years back. The _Pop!_ their Side-Along Apparition had made scared a nearby cat into running away but otherwise the coast was clear.

Ginny's head bobbed all over as she looked around the neighborhood where Harry had grown up. "It's all so, sorry Harry, boring!" she exclaimed softly. "All these houses are the same!"

Harry chortled. "No need to apologize Gin, I didn't like it much either. I guess Uncle Vernon loved it here, it being all normal and standard." He offered his hand to her as they started walking and within minutes they were standing in front of the door of Number Four Privet Drive. The windows were open and from inside they could hear the sounds of a tv show.

"Oh!" Ginny said quietly. "Is that a fellytision I hear?" she asked.

Harry grinned as he rang the doorbell. "Television, 'Gin." It seemed as if Ginny had a little bit of her father's passion for Muggle items in her.

Moments later the door opened and Harry found himself face to face with his cousin. It was a quiet, tense moment as they regarded each other but then a small smile appeared on Dudley's face.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" he asked, opening the screen door to let them in.

"Well, err, I got a message saying that you guys were alright and back here. Just wanted to see for myself…" Harry said, trailing off as they stepped inside. Looking around, it seemed as if the Dursley's hadn't changed a thing when they got back. Everything was in the same place, though it did look like they had gotten a bigger television.

"Who's that Dudley?" a woman's voice called from the hallway. Moments later, Petunia Dursley was visible through a doorway, frozen as she looked at Harry.

"Err, Harry's here." Dudley said, closing the door behind them. He looked at Harry, then to Ginny, then back at Harry with a small look of disbelief on his face.

Petunia recovered enough to close her mouth and made her way over to them. "Oh. Hi, Harry." she said, still somewhat stunned.

Harry felt an elbow in his ribcage and he looked over at Ginny with a smile. "Oh, yes. Dudley, Aunt Petunia, this is Ginny, my girlfriend."

The little smile came back to Dudley's face and Petunia's hard look softened a little bit.

Harry went on. "Sorry if we're intruding on anything, I just wanted to see if you lot were alright." He looked around, noticing something off. "Uncle Vernon's at work I'm assuming?"

Dudley nodded. "He was able to buy back the company after we got back."

Petunia smirked. "Don't think he was ever as happy in his life when your, erm, friend told us it was safe again." She looked to Ginny. "I just made some iced tea, would you care for some?"

Ginny nodded. "That would be fantastic, Mrs. Dursley," she said. Apparently, Petunia liked something about her because a small smile had appeared on her face for the first time that Harry could remember in years.

They all sat in the living room and Dudley explained what happened after they were moved into the safe house. Of course, Vernon didn't like it one bit and it took them some getting used to. Harry told them the story of what happened in his year, the short version that is. He left out some of the more gritty parts and things they wouldn't understand.

"So, this Lord Voldy-thing," Dudley asked after Harry was done, "he's gone for good?"

Ginny nodded. "For good."

Petunia nodded. "That's good to hear. I was thinking when you showed up here again you were going to give us more bad news, Harry."

Harry had to smirk. "Not this time, I'm afraid."

She returned the smirk back and set down her cup of tea. "I'll be right back, there's something I need to give you."

Harry looked at her, wondering what it was. Ginny on the other hand was looking at the television, extremely interested in it. She started asking Dudley some question as Harry zoned out. He realized that he was pretty tired and stifled a yawn as Petunia came back into the room.

His aunt handed him a letter and Harry recognized the writing on the front immediately as his mother's. "Erm, Harry. Your mother sent this to me a little before you came to us and asked that you read it on your 11th birthday."

Harry looked at her, mouth agape. He was about to be angry and Petunia could see it.

"I'm sorry Harry, but with your Uncle not caring for any of it and me still disliking her, I had forgotten about it until when we came back here." She watched him, looking at the letter. "Probably be best to open it when you get hom- Err, wherever you are now," she said, looking at Ginny. "We've gotten through all this awfulness in one piece and I'd rather not have to relive any of it."

Harry took a moment and then looked up at her, nodding. "Yeah, thanks," was all he could say for a bit.

He and Ginny only stayed for a little bit after that. It was getting slightly more awkward by the minute, until Ginny looked at the clock and mentioned that she and Harry were going to be late for dinner if they stayed much longer.

They stood up to say their goodbyes and Harry gave Petunia a smile. Looking over at Dudley, he put out his hand. "See you around, Big D."

Dudley took his hand with a smile. "Yeah, Harry."

With a smirk on his face Harry put his hand on Ginny's shoulder, deciding to give the Dursley's a show, and Apparating home right in front of them.

As they landed at the back porch of the Burrow, Ginny started giggling. "Harry! That was a bit evil don't you think?"

He shrugged, a grin on his face. "Something to remember me by, I suppose."

* * *

Harry didn't have a chance to open and read the letter before dinner. Mrs. Weasley was in her cooking mode and he and Ginny were given things to do as soon as they walked in. Everyone started arriving a few minutes later and they all sat down to eat outside.

Dinner was excellent as usual and Harry found himself quiet and enjoying the food and company. He was still tired and tried his best to stifle a few yawns.

Fleur, who Harry hadn't seen since Fred's funeral and whose English was improving rapidly, was sitting next to him and asking him about the upcoming school year. She was excited about something but kept being coy about it. When he asked her what she was going on about, she flushed red.

"Oh, 'Arry I'm sorry. I cannot say just yet. I have been sworn to seecrecy. Yoo will know soon though," she said, looking to Bill who had the same coy look on his face.

Harry was about to press further and ask what was going on, when a rather strong yawn overtook him. He supposed the food wasn't helping his tiredness and he closed his eyes for a moment.

When he opened them again he was back in the Dark Forest, on the ground amongst the leaves. He could hear voices around him and then he felt himself being picked up by Hagrid, who carried him just like a few weeks before. Then, there was the whole school, facing down Voldemort. He could see Neville defying the Dark Lord, who laughed and simply slashed at Neville's face, ripping it to shreds.

He could see Nagini attacking his classmates, his friends. Death Eaters were blasting holes in the sides of the castle and killing everyone in their way. Voldemort himself was raising his wand at Ginny, ready to cast the Killing Curse.

Harry tried to leap up from where he was on the ground, trying to stop it all, to say that he had died and that they had a promise, but he couldn't. He was frozen, unable to do anything. A fountain of green light jumped at Ginny, dropping her to the ground. Her lifeless eyes bored into Harry's mind.

He felt himself screaming and then felt like he was falling. Opening his eyes, he could see the stars and then fuzzy shapes of people crowding around him. He couldn't make out who was saying what, though he heard some words.

"Dream." "Nightmare?" "Hallucination?" "Molly, …. Mungo's…. soaked… sweat."

He tried to speak, but found he couldn't so he reached out an arm to the nearest fuzzy shape near him. It worked, but only for a moment as he felt his arm go limp, and then all went black.

* * *

_Hehe, yes, I did it. I left you all at a cliffhanger, and a doozy at that. Please don't hate me! :3_

_I promise to not leave you hanging for long. The next installment will have some answers, though not all, and it'll have a very interesting perspective. Then, we'll travel down under to see what Ron and Hermione are up to! As always, a big thanks to my Beta reader!_

_-Midnight_


	8. Unconditionally - Ginny's Interlude

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book. The song "Unconditionally" and it's lyrics are the intellectual property of Katy Perry and her representatives._

_This chapter is going to be something totally different than what I've written so far. It's from Ginny's Point of View, and very short. I had a jolt of inspiration while listening to Katy Perry's "Unconditionally" on repeat, and decided to create this little interlude. The song fits Ginny perfectly, in my opinion. If I could make a suggestion, turn the song on while you read this, and imagine it as a sort of montage or climax of a movie._

**Chapter 8 - Ginny's Interlude - "Unconditionally"**

_POV: Ginny_

Ginny was having a good time during dinner. The conversation was so upbeat and light and it seemed like everyone was in good spirits. The sun was just about finished setting beyond the horizon, it's last light shining through a few trees. Already she could hear the crickets chirping and the garden gnomes chattering in the distance. To her right she could hear her father, Charlie and Percy talking about their work. It seemed as if there were a few Death Eaters still on the loose, but things were looking on the upside.

Harry was sitting to her left on the long bench, a happy but tired look on his face. She had noticed he had been tired all day long and figured that he might not have had much sleep the night before. With a smile, she turned to him and was about to say something when she noticed his eyes close.

""_Oh no, did I get too close  
__Oh, did I almost see what's really on the inside?""_

She frowned, seeing him swaying a bit. It looked like he was dizzy, or about to faint. The moment she put a hand on his shoulder to ask if he was alright, his eyes popped open and he let loose an ear-shattering scream. "NOOOOO! GINNNNNNYY!"

""_All your insecurities  
__All the dirty laundry  
__Never made me blink one time""_

Harry fell back off the bench hitting the ground hard on his back, his head bouncing off the grass a split second later.

""_Unconditional, unconditionally  
__I will love you unconditionally""_

The whole table was in an uproar, with people getting up to see what was going on.

"What's goin on?" Charlie asked from the far side of the table. "Did he have a dream? Nightmare?"

Ginny quickly swiveled on the bench, kneeling in the grass next to Harry. Her heart was racing a mile a minute.

"Harry?! Harry are you okay?"

""_There is no fear now  
__Let go and just be free  
__I will love you unconditionally""_

She could see his eyes open, looking around slowly. Fleur was standing on the bench, looking over all of them. "Eez it a hallucination?" she asked. In a flash, Mr. Weasley was there as well, kneeling on the other side of Harry from Ginny. Arthur's wand was lit and he was shining it over Harry's face in the evening darkness. "Merlin's beard. Molly!" he called out, not looking away from Harry. "Call St. Mungo's! He's soaked with sweat!"

""_Come just as you are to me  
__Don't need apologies  
__Know that you are worthy""_

Ginny was sobbing at this point, looking down at him. "Harry!" she pleaded, wanting to reach down and touch him but remembering what had happened the last time. "Please! Harry are you ok?"

""_I'll take your bad days with your good  
__Walk through this storm I would  
__I'd do it all because I love you, I love you""_

For a moment, Ginny thought Harry could hear her. He was looking right at her but his eyes were all hazy and rolling up past his eyelids. He reached up his arm at her slowly, but it fell back at his side the next moment. He made a choking noise and then his head tilted to the side, eyes wide open.

""_Unconditional, unconditionally  
__I will love you unconditionally""_

Mr. Weasley gasped and pressed two fingers to Harry's neck, checking for a pulse. Leaning down, he tried to listen over all the commotion.

""_There is no fear now  
__Let go and just be free  
__I will love you unconditionally""_

Arthur's eyes went wide, looking around. "He's not breathing!" he said quietly, looking stunned.

"NO!" Ginny shouted in between a sob, pushing her father aside. Taking Harry's head in her hands she looked into his eyes, a wild look in her own. "Harry! No, you can't leave me!"

""_So open up your heart and just let it begin  
__Open up your heart, and just let it begin""_

The whole world was just her and Harry at that point. Everything else didn't matter. She looked at him, her tears falling onto his face. He couldn't be gone! Not her Harry! Slowly, she bent down and kissed him on the lips.

The moment their lips connected, Ginny could feel a warm glow at her center, near her heart. She felt it radiate out from her and surrounding the both of them.

""_Open up your heart, and just let it begin  
__Open up your heart!""_

All of a sudden she could feel him breathing through their kiss. She opened her eyes and saw that Harry's eyes were now closed, his head leaning to the side again. But he was breathing damnit!

Another sob escaped her and she felt someone behind her, putting their arms around her. She fell back into them, her eyes not leaving Harry's face.

""_Acceptance is the key to be  
__To be truly free  
__Will you do the same for me?""_

The stunned look on Arthur Weasley's face hadn't left as he checked on Harry, then looked to Ginny with disbelief. "He… He's breathing again!" he shouted.

""_Unconditional, unconditionally  
__I will love you unconditionally  
__And there is no fear now  
__Let go and just be free""_

Ginny watched the scene, not knowing what was going on. The only thing that mattered was Harry, and he was still alive. The only thing that mattered….

"_Why am I feeling dizzy?"_ she thought to herself slowly, and then everything blacked out.

""_'Cause I will love you unconditionally (oh yeah!)  
__I will love you  
__I will love you  
__I will love you unconditionally!""_

* * *

_As always, thanks for reading! Please review and favorite if you like what you just read. Special thank you to my Beta reader for the proofreading and for being a sounding board. I'd like to use more of these little interludes in the story going forth, so PLEASE let me know if you like them or not!_

_-Midnight_


	9. Revelations Down Under

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book. _

_We're back to Hermione and Ron this chapter, enjoy! As far as I know, the real names of Hermione's parents were never in the books, movies, or interviews from JKR, so I'm giving them names for the sake of conversations._

**Chapter 9 - Revelations Down Under**

Ron and Hermione arrived in Sydney with a loud _Thump!_ Both of them groaned a bit as they got their bearings.

"Blimey," Ron started, leaning over and putting his hands on his knees to help with the dizziness. "I don't remember Portkeys throwing me off that much. It felt like forever too."

Hermione seemed to recover a little more quickly and moved over to him to rub his back lightly. "Longer distance, Ron. We weren't just jumping from one end of the country to the other this time."

She looked around the area, noting that the Portkey had taken them exactly where the Transportation Department witch said it would go. The fact that Minister Shacklebolt had been there to supervise the forming of this particular Portkey had probably helped.

They were both in small hidden orchard of trees, and not too far away they could hear the sounds of children playing and cars beeping. True to Kingsley's word they had arrived safely at Poplar Grove, one of the Australian Ministry of Magic's international arrival points. It was a shielded and charmed area within one of the large city's many public parks.

A little chuckle behind them surprised them to the point of drawing their wands. They wheeled around, only to find a little tiny witch, almost the same height as Professor Flitwick. She smiled warmly but couldn't hide the grin behind it.

"Welcome to Australia dears, sorry to have startled you."

Ron looked a bit sheepish as they both stowed their wands away.

"Sorry," Hermione said, a wince on her own face. "Old habits."

The witch nodded. "Understandable. Your Minister Shacklebolt explained everything to our own Minister already. Nothing to worry about! Now, I hear that you're here to retrieve two people?"

Hermione nodded back. "Yes, I ermm, sent my parents here last year to stay safe from the threat of You-Know-Who and it's time I brought them home."

"Ah, very good. Well, our Minister wishes to inform you that while you are here, you are more than welcome to request our aid at any time. Simply stop in at the Faulty Cauldron and the barkeep there will get word to us." With that, she bowed a tiny bit and Apparated away.

Ron looked at Hermione. "Well, that was a warm welcome. I wonder what else we can get Kingsley to do for us," he said, only half joking. He received a nudge on the side from Hermione for that, even though she was grinning.

"Lets get going then," she said, holding out her hand to Ron. "I want to see if we can find my parents today."

That Hermione didn't know exactly where her parents would be had been discussed earlier that morning. She had explained to Ron that she had placed a very strong Memory Block charm on the both of them, along with a suggestion to move to Sydney. "For obvious reasons," she had said, "I didn't check up on them or try to figure out where they had went."

Ron had made a comment then about looking for a needle in a haystack but Hermione shook her head. "Ron, I didn't alter their memories all that much. If I know them, they'll have joined a Dentistry practice or started their own by now."

And so, as the two walked out of the park, Hermione kept her eye out for a public pay-phone. It took a few blocks of walking to finally find one that also had a phone book. She quickly thumbed through the businesses section as she explained to Ron what the purpose of a phone book was.

"So much extra work," Ron muttered to himself, wondering how Muggles got on without magic.

After a few minutes Hermione grabbed at Ron's sleeve and pointed excitedly at a entry. "Wilkins Dentistry! Of course they would start their own here too!"

She was all smiles and Ron couldn't help but smile as well. He was glad they were getting somewhere and that Hermione was already feeling better about the whole situation. Hermione pulled a map of Sydney out of her handbag and compared it to the street name listed in the phone book.

"Drat," she started softly. "They're clear on the other side of the city from here."

A smirk crossed Ron's face as he had an idea. "I don't suppose they have a Knight Bus here," he asked jokingly.

Hermione shook her head. "You would think, but no they don't. I guess we'll have to take a normal taxi."

* * *

About an hour later Hermione was handing their cab driver a few bills, which he took as he gave Ron one more quizzical look before driving off. Hermione smiled and sighed at this, giving Ron a look.

Ron was looking sheepish once again. "I overdid it on the questions, didn't I?"

"Well, ermm. Yes, but it's ok." Hermione kissed him on the cheek then patted her coat pocket where Ron saw the tip of her wand.

"You didn't," he said, grinning as well.

She put a finger to her lips and smiled. "I did." Taking his hand, she turned to see the small building with the Dentistry sign over the doorway. A check of her watch and then the sign on the door made her frown.

"Ok, so they're closing in about twenty minutes for the day… I was hoping to try and get an emergency appointment set up so we could lift the Memory Block here, but we'll need to wait until they head home." She was starting to wring her hands and a frown crept onto her face. "Maybe that's for the best."

Ron took her hands into his and put a comforting smile on for her. "Everything will work out 'Mione." There was a soft tone to his voice as he pulled her into a hug.

Hermione nodded into his shoulder. "I know, I know. I'm just wondering and fretting, but what if they like it here too much and would rather stay? What if my Memory Block was too strong?"

She was getting all anxious and worried again and Ron knew he had to head that off. Planting a kiss on the top of her head, he squeezed her tighter in his arms. "Don't get all worried babe, we'll figure it all out."

Knowing that he had to take a little initiative for the moment, he looked around and noticed a bench across the street from where they were. He led her there and they sat, giving themselves a nice view of the building. "Now we can see when they leave and where they go when they do."

Hermione nodded, calming down and putting a resolute look on her face. "Good thinking."

True enough about a half hour later the two watched as the last patients left the building, closely followed by her parents. Ron could feel Hermione tense up as she saw them. They watched as her father locked the door behind them and then take his wife's hand as they started to walk down the sidewalk.

Ron and Hermione waited a few moments and then started following them, their own hands clasped together. It turned out that her parents lived only a few minutes away from their practice and soon the younger couple was standing a few houses down, thinking about what to do.

Hermione had calmed down during the walk there and was looking around the neighborhood. Seeing a For Sale sign in the yard of one of the houses, she caught a bit of inspiration. Taking Ron's hand in her's, she led them down the street and up the walk to her parent's door.

"Follow my lead," she said as she rang the doorbell.

Ron was about to protest but he saw the look of resolve on her face. As the door opened, he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and turned to look at the house.

Hermione's father had opened the door and looked at the both of them. "Hello," he said with a warm smile, "Can I help you two?"

Hermione froze for just a moment but then smiled as well and spoke up. "Erm, hello. We're sorry to intrude, but we're thinking about moving into the neighborhood and were wondering a little about the area, the type of people, what there is to do around here…" she trailed off, smiling.

Her mother had just come to the door as well, and was looking at the two of them. "Oh, of course dear," she said with a smile. "Please, Wendell invite them in. I'll get some tea."

Ron looked over to Hermione and smiled, amazed at her brilliance sometimes. They followed her father into the living room where he offered them a seat on the couch as Monica came in with a tray of tea things.

She set down saucers and cups in front of Hermione and Ron with a smile. "So, you were thinking about moving in down the street you said? That would be Mrs. Highsmith's place, bless her. She's in a better place now. Oh, sorry, I don't think we've introduced ourselves, I'm Monica and this is my husband Wendell."

"I'm Hermione and this is Ron, my boyfriend," Hermione said, looking over to the other couch where her parents were sitting. Her father frowned slightly when she had said her name.

"Hermione, that's such a lovely name," Monica said with a smile, taking a sip of her tea.

Noticing that her presence was starting to work against the Memory Block charm, Hermione decided that it was time. With a look over to Ron for some moral support, she whipped out her wand and muttered something under her breath.

The air inside the living room grew warm and there was a loud _Crack!_ followed by a flash of yellow light. Ron hadn't been prepared for it and blinked a few times.

Hermione on the other hand was staring intently at her parents as they too recovered from the sudden light and noise. They looked as if they had just been hit with a Stunning Jinx for a moment and then they blinked before looking at each other, then back over to Hermione.

"Erm, Hermione?" her father asked, shaking his head once as if to clear a ringing in his ears, "would you mind telling us why we're in Australia?"

Hermione squealed in excitement and lept up to go hug her parents. They both sandwiched her in a large group hug, leaving Ron sitting on the other couch with a huge smile on his face. Both Hermione and her mother cried a little and it took a few minutes for them all to settle down.

As Hermione sat down again, her father looked at Ron. "Ronald, right? One of Hermione's friends from school. Weasley, if I remember right? We met your parents once."

Ron nodded. "That's right sir," he said quietly.

Hermione had sat down pretty close next to Ron, and her parents picked up on this pretty quickly. "He's more than just a friend it seems Roger," her mother said with a smile.

Both Hermione and Ron blushed at that.

Roger smiled warmly before speaking. "Well, that's something else I'm sure we'll be talking about but a bigger question begs answering. What happened Hermione? We've been here for what, a year? I think we couldn't remember who we were before that."

Hermione nodded and took a deep breath before starting in on explaining. It took her a while to explain why she did what she did, and most everything that she, Ron and Harry had done the past year. For the most part she spoke without being interrupted but there were some questions from her parents.

She left out some chunks in time but told them everything about what had happened at Malfoy Manor. Ron had figured she'd leave out the bit about being tortured with the Crucio Curse but he understood why she didn't. As she explained about Ron calling out for her, both of her parents looked at him, and her mother put her hand near her heart.

Hermione finished with what had happened in the past few weeks and then fell silent, looking at the both of them. They both took a moment to let it all sink in and then looked at each other. Hermione's mother spoke up first.

"Well, I have to say that was quite a year you two had, I'm just glad that you're alive and unscathed."

Roger nodded. "Agreed, Alice. Now, there's the matter of you two."

Hermione blushed. "Yes, we're more than just friends Dad. Ron and I are together." She said it simply, taking Ron's hand in hers.

Ron smiled at her as she did that, then seemed to focus on something over her shoulder.

Her father smiled and looked at the two of them seriously. "Have you two been having sex then?" was the blunt question out of his mouth.

"Roger!"

Alice was looking at him, mortified.

"Well dear, they're both old enough to know what it is and they are at that age…" he said seriously, looking at them for the answer.

Hermione's face was a deep shade of red by this point. "No, Dad. We haven't had sex yet." She looked over to Ron, who was still staring at something over her shoulder. "Ron? What are you looking at?" she asked quietly, wondering why he was spacing out at such an important moment.

Ron had been looking at a photograph on the mantlepiece, and slowly looked to Hermione before looking at her parents. He started to ask a question when the front door opened and a young girl walked in, setting a school bag down on the floor.

"Mum, Dad, I'm home!"

* * *

To say that Hermione looked stunned was an understatement. She was frozen in her seat. Ron looked between the girl that had walked in and back to Hermione's parents, who were looking at Hermione's reaction. He was pretty flabbergasted himself and squeezed Hermione's hand.

"Mum, who are our guests?" the little one asked. She looked to be around nine or ten years old, with wavy brown hair and glasses. Alice quickly stood and went over to the girl, kissing her on top of her forehead when she reached her. "Erm, I'll tell you in just a moment dear. Why don't you scoot over into the kitchen and make yourself something to eat and we'll be right there."

The little girl nodded and looked curiously at Ron and Hermione before going through a doorway. Hermione watched her until she was out of sight, then looked to her parents.

Alice crossed the room and sat next to Hermione. "Hermione, I was hoping to explain before she got home…" she started.

Hermione looked to her. "I have a sister?" she asked quietly, still not believing it.

Alice nodded. "Just a few months ago. Hermione, you have to remember that we thought we had no children and we had been thinking about adopting. We got a phone call just after Christmas that there was a little girl who had been at the orphanage for a little while and they said they thought she would be a perfect match."

Roger took over explaining. "When the social worker brought her here, we knew after just a few hours that she belonged with us. It took a few weeks of paperwork and more visits, but we were finally able to adopt her."

Ron took Hermione's hand and held it tight knowing that his girlfriend was going through a lot, and he wanted her to know that he was there for her. Hermione looked at him and smiled softly in thanks.

"What's her name?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Isla," both of her parents said at the same time.

They were all quiet for a moment, Hermione lost in thought. When she looked over at her mother again, she had a smile on her face. "Mum, Dad, I'm really happy, truly. It's just a giant shock to find out I have a sister now."

She looked over to the kitchen before speaking again. "Ermm, telling her about me and Ron may be tricky though."

Roger was puzzled. "I'm sure she won't be offended that the two of you are together. Blimey, that's something I didn't think I was going to say today."

Hermione smirked. "That part I think will be fine, it's the erm, special abilities that we have that will cause problems."

That hit both of her parents hard. It seemed they had forgotten about that little fact. Roger and Alice looked at each other for a long moment.

"Yes, meeting you _and_ learning what you can do would be a little much for her," Alice said. "We should probably hold off on that." She thought for a moment. "Hermione, for now would it be ok if we told her that we had given you up as a baby? I just can't think of any other situation that would make sense without letting her know about how we got here."

Hermione nodded resolutely. "It would probably be the best option. So I've been tracking you down for a while and just found my biological parents." She smiled. "Well, it has some truth to it."

Everyone had a smile at that and both of her parents got up to go talk to Isla. When they were both gone from the room Ron turned to look at Hermione and pulled her into a hug.

She was tearing up a little and wiped her cheek clean. "Well," she said slowly. "I was thinking of so many possible scenarios but this wasn't one of them." She noticed the worried look on his face and smiled. "I'm alright Ron, really. It was just a shock. I'm- I'm really happy and excited actually. I always wanted a little brother or sister."

Ron smiled too. "I'm so happy for you 'Mione." He leaned over to kiss her and she met him halfway. They broke their kiss as they heard movement in the next room over and looked up to see her parents walking back into the room with Isla. The girl was a bit shy, but still had that curious look on her face.

"Isla," Alice started, "this is your sister Hermione and her boyfriend Ron."

Isla walked over to where they were sitting and smiled. She offered a hand to Ron first and after they had shaken, she looked at Hermione and reached in for a hug. Hermione was a bit surprised, but quickly wrapped her arms around her new sister. Ron could hear a familiar sniffle coming from Hermione before the girls pulled apart.

Isla sat next to Hermione as they all spoke for a while. The story that had been hastily concocted was elaborated on, with everyone playing along. Hermione's smile was getting wider by the moment.

"Isla, I'm so glad to meet you," she said looking over at the girl. "I came to find my family, and I've gotten more than I thought. How old are you?"

"Eleven. I look younger though, everyone says so." A smile crossed the girl's face. "Hermione, can I ask you a question now?"

"Of course Isla, what is it?"

"Why is everyone lying right now?"

The question took everyone aback. Four sets of eyes connected as the adults in the room looked to each other in puzzlement.

"Erm, I don't understand Isla," Hermione said. "Why do you think we're lying?"

"Oh, well, I don't know how to explain it really but I can tell when people tell fibs, or how they are feeling. I guess I felt like everyone was trying to hide something. I'm usually right about these things too…" Isla said, looking at Hermione and then to her parents. "I thought something was strange since the first time I came here, like maybe something had happened to you, Mum and Dad."

The wheels were turning in Hermione's head, and Ron noticed the look of concentration he had seen so often over the years. He was beginning to understand what was going on and he knew what Hermione was going to ask next.

Hermione thought back to seven years previously, when she had first learned about Hogwarts. "Isla, let me ask you something if I can. Have, how do I put it, strange things happened to you before? Maybe something breaking when you get angry, or finding yourself somewhere else in a moment when you felt scared?"

Isla looked at her for a long moment. It looked as if the girl was hesitant to say anything. Hermione took her hand and smiled. "You don't have to worry about us making fun of you or laughing, Isla."

You could just see the beginnings of a smile on the edges of the girl's lips. She nodded tentatively. "It happened a lot when I was at the group home. Some of the other girls would pick on me because I could tell when they were fibbing and they thought I was telling on them. This one time, one of the bullies there was chasing me around the yard and the next thing I knew I was sitting up in a tree."

Hermione looked dumbfounded. She first looked over to Ron as if to ask his opinion and got a nod in response. Her parents were looking at her strangely, but they too were recalling the visit they had received years ago.

"Isla, I promise we'll tell you why I'm asking these questions, but I want you to do one more thing for me." Hermione picked up her empty teacup and held it by the handle. "I want you to close your eyes and really concentrate on this cup. Can you do that for me?"

Isla nodded and squinted her eyes shut.

"Now, if you can see the cup clearly in your mind I want you to think about what would happen if you were the one holding it, and it dropped to the floor."

Hermione held her breath and waited. Sure enough after a few moments there was a sound of china breaking as the cup shattered into a dozen pieces. Isla's eyes opened immediately and she saw that Hermione still had the handle around her finger.

The girl's eyes went wide. "Did I do that? I'm sorry!" she said, looking to her parents.

A smile appeared on both Alice and Roger's faces.

"Hermione?" her mother asked questioningly, her eyes asking the question on both their minds.

Hermione just nodded and Roger's eyes went wide.

"Good lord," he said softly. "That's unbelievable…"

Isla was looking at everyone in turn, looking frustrated. "What's going on?" she demanded.

Hermione tried to hold back a giggle but it didn't work out that well. "Isla, I'm sorry we lied to you before, but we didn't want to overload you with so many new things after you had just met us. The truth is," she said slowly, "you are a witch."

Isla's eyes turned wide as Dobby's had so many times. "I'm a w.. witch?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes. You can do magic and it also seems that you have a natural ability to read auras, that's pretty rare."

"So, I'm not just making things up in my head?" Isla asked quietly.

"Of course not!" Hermione exclaimed, hugging the girl quickly. "You, little sister are a witch. You have magical powers just like me, and just like Ron."

The younger girl looked at both of them with shrewd eyes. "Prove it," she said quietly.

Ron and Hermione both chuckled and looked at each other. He shrugged at Hermione. "Ladies first."

Hermione took out her wand from her pocket, and pointed it at the broken cup pieces. "Reparo!" she said clearly and everyone watched as the pieces flew and fused back together.

Isla gasped and looked at Ron, who had just pulled out his own wand. "Avis!" he said loudly, and his wand produced two white doves after a loud bang. The birds flew around the room a few times and then out an open window past Isla's head. The girl turned to see the birds outside and when she turned back Ron conjured a stemless rose from the tip of his wand and placed it in the crevice between Isla's ear and head.

"Wow…"

* * *

Over the next few hours Isla learned the truth about everything, including why her new parents were in Sydney to begin with. She took everything pretty calmly and was excited to find out that the Grangers were planning to move back home to Great Britain.

Hermione's mother grilled shrimp and potatoes for dinner and everyone talked and enjoyed themselves. Ron and Hermione entertained Isla for hours with stories of their adventures and told her all about Hogwarts. Hermione assured her that she would talk with Professor McGonagall about getting her enrolled for the coming school year and Isla was ecstatic to learn that Hermione would be there for the year as well.

All the excitement and news proved to be too much for Isla, who fell asleep on the couch as they were all talking. There was a gentle smile on Hermione's face as she watched her mother rouse the girl so she could go to bed in her own room. Isla had to have one more hug from her older sister before she went, and Ron swore he could see a tear in Hermione's eye as they did so.

As the girl walked up the stairs to her room, the Grangers turned to Hermione and Ron.

"Well now," Mr. Granger said. "Who would have thought. Do you think it's just a coincidence?"

Hermione shrugged, feeling tired after the emotion-filled day. "It's possible. I remember Professor Dumbledore tell me once that there's so much that's unknown about what we can do. It's entirely possible that her abilities brought you together, that she could sense that you knew something or could help her even though you couldn't remember at the time. Ron and I can talk with the Australian Ministry of Magic too, in case this was their doing, but I don't think so."

She yawned loudly, then looked sheepishly at everyone. "Sorry."

Mrs. Granger smiled. "I'm sure you two had a long day as well, even though it was short in time. There's a guest room down in the basement, you should get some sleep." She eyed her husband before going on. "It is only one bed down there. I'm assuming that's not going to be a problem for you two."

Ron and Hermione blushed profusely and both shook their heads together.

"That's fine," Roger said, "Just no funny business down there, okay?" The statement was made at both of them, but he seemed to be looking more at Ron than his daughter.

"Of course Dad," Hermione said with a smile. She stood and hugged them both again. "I'm so glad that I found you both okay," she said over her mother's shoulder.

A few minutes later, Ron closed the door behind himself and Hermione. She made straight for the bed and practically fell down on it as Ron dropped their duffel bag against the wall. He sat down next to her, moving the hair that had fallen on top of her face to the side and smiled.

"Didn't I say it would all work out?" he said quietly, running his thumb down her cheek before leaning down to kiss her. She sighed loudly against his lips and her arms pulled him down next to her.

Hermione took his head into her hands and held it against hers for a while, eyes closed and a smile on her face. "You were right," she said quietly. "Everything's even better than I had hoped. They're alright Ron, they're safe and I have a little sister…" She choked up a bit there and buried her face into his chest.

Ron could tell she was crying a little but they were tears of joy. He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair before starting to rub her back as he had the night before. It had a calming effect on her and within minutes he could hearing her normal soft snoring.

He smiled and closed his own eyes, letting his hand float along her back. "Goodnight my love," he whispered before kissing the top of her head.

* * *

_Well, there it is! Hermione's parents are safe and sound, and there's a new addition to the plot! I had planned for the Grangers to have an adopted daughter that Hermione would be surprised with. It made sense to me, seeing as how they would have an empty spot in their hearts. The idea for her to be a witch and aura-reader came as I started writing her character, and I think little Isla will work out very well in this story. It'll definitely make the year at Hogwarts more fun to write, giving me more content to write, and her aura-reading will be useful down the ways a bit._

_If you like what you read, please let me know! Fav and review so I know what you the readers want to see from the story. Tell me if you don't like something too - I can take it, I swear! As always, big thanks to my Beta reader for their help! _

_I know everyone is on pins and needles wanting to know what the devil happened to Harry and Ginny, and I promise all will be explained next chapter. Well, almost everything anyways. _

_- Midnight_


	10. Love, the Third

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book. _

_As promised, Harry's sudden illness is about to be explained. Grab a comfy seat and enjoy!_

**Chapter 10 - Love, the Third **

In a private room on the 4th floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, two women held vigil next to an occupied bed. It had been two days and nights since Harry had collapsed at dinner, and in that time neither Ginny nor her mother had spent any more than 10 minutes away from his bedside. Ginny had moved one of the arm chairs in the room right up to Harry's bed and was snoring lightly with her head on Harry's leg.

Mrs. Weasley watched the two of them with a sad expression on her face. This was her worst nightmare, one of her children being so sick and laying in bed with her unable to help. It was even worse seeing the torment her daughter was going through. Ginny hadn't been through any hysterics or anything of the sort, only an occasional tear running down her stoic face this whole time. If it were any other person laying there Mrs. Weasley would have dragged Ginny home to sleep and eat, but she knew better than to try it now.

Many Healers had come and went in the past two days, all examining their patient with quiet and serious faces; that had been brought on by a visit from the Minister himself to inquire about Harry. All of them were in agreement that Harry was out of danger but in a deep sleep, which he apparently needed. Every test they had run had showed low vital signs, as if he'd been drained of energy in an instant.

Mrs. Weasley sighed and moved her head and limbs around a bit to stretch them, and in the process missed Harry's eyes open slowly. It wasn't until he moved his head a little to see around him that she gasped quietly and leaned over to him.

"Harry?" she asked quietly, just barely above a whisper.

He turned his head in her direction, groaning a little bit and trying to make out the fuzzy shape. "Whozzat?" he croaked.

Molly Weasley's face broke into a smile as her heart seemed to leap right out of her throat. "It's Mum, dear." Keeping her voice low and her movements quiet, she reached over to get Harry's glasses from the bedside table and placed them gently on his face.

Able to see clearly now, Harry blinked a few times. "What happened?" he asked Mrs Weasley quietly. Feeling the pressure on his leg, he lifted his head a bit and saw Ginny laying there asleep with her face towards his.

"You're in St. Mungo's Harry, been asleep for 2 days," she said motioning to Ginny. "She's been here by your side the whole time…"

Harry smiled and reached his hand out, placing it on top of Ginny's lightly. The touch seemed to be enough to rouse her. He heard Ginny mumble something incoherent as she started to lift the hand he had touched to her face. It took a moment for her to realize his hand was there and then she gasped, sitting straight up and looking at him.

In a flash she was leaning over him, her bright brown eyes looking him over before she kissed him quickly and hugging him as best as she could with him laying down. All the emotions she had been keeping inside her the last 48 hours exploded then and she started sobbing on his chest. It was all Harry could do to wrap his arms around her and hold her there. "It's okay Gin, I'm okay," he muttered over and over. He breathed in and smelled flowers, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep again.

* * *

The next time he awoke he could feel the sunlight from the window on his face before he opened his eyes. Things were hazy as usual so he felt around for his glasses. This time he managed to find them himself and slipped them on as the door to the room opened and a Healer in lime green robes walked in, closely followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Professor McGonagall, to Harry's surprise.

"Ah, Mr. Potter you're awake," the Healer said. Ginny rushed over to Harry and kissed him on the forehead, her face all smiles.

Harry couldn't help but smile too, Ginny's was too infectious. "You look a lot better than last night Gin," he said as an attempt at humor.

They all laughed, though Ginny sniffled as well. "I could say the same thing Harry, I thought we were all done with you scaring us like this. What am I going to do with you?" was all she could get out before she had to stop and stop herself from crying again. She took a seat in the chair right next to Harry and everyone else did as well.

"Yes, Ms. Weasley has it right there," the Healer said. "You gave us all quite a scare Harry."

Harry turned to looked at the wizard; there was something familiar about him. "Healer Smethwyck, right?"

He got a nod in return. "Ah good, you remember me. That's a good sign that your mind didn't suffer any damage."

Harry blinked a few times then stretched his neck around to work out the stiffness. "Errm, you all are going to have to fill me in. I don't remember what happened, just that I had a nightmare or something and then waking up here."

McGonagall nodded. "And fill you in we shall, Harry. We're just waiting on one more person to join us," she said. "A, shall we say, expert in the field?" As she was speaking, another Healer came into the room floating a painting into the room before him. As the painting was set down carefully on a chair, Harry recognized it as being from the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir." Harry said, a bit surprised.

Dumbledore's image looked at Harry with his usual kind smile. "Ah Harry. It's good to see you well again. I trust you are feeling up to a conversation?"

Harry nodded. "Of course sir. I'd like to know what's going on," he said, looking around at everyone.

"Yes yes, answers are in order. Healer Smethwyck and I have been discussing what happened at length, and we believe we know what happened. Arthur, Molly, would you kindly fill Harry in on the events prior to his arrival here?"

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked at each other nervously before starting. Taking it in turns, they told Harry about the apparent nightmare he had, falling off the bench and how he had stopped breathing at one point.

Harry's face lost some color as they said this, so Arthur continued quickly. "It was so fast Harry, no one knew what had happened or why. You weren't responding to anything, not a single Revival spell. Ginny was right there at your side and when it looked like we had lost you, she just.. well she leaned down and kissed you Harry."

Arthur shook his head, as if still in amazement. "Blimey Harry, it was just the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. You were as good as dead, and then as Ginny kissed you you started breathing again."

Harry was looking at Ginny with his mouth open a bit. "You mean like CPR or something?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "No, just a simple kiss Harry."

Ginny was looking back at Harry, still holding his hand but not saying anything.

Healer Smethwyck took over. "When you were brought in Harry you were breathing and everything looked normal, except for the signs that you had been something so extraordinarily draining of your energy. All of your vital signs were low and your aura was almost nonexistent, yet nothing else was wrong. You were just in a deep sleep, a kind of magical coma until last night. We just couldn't explain any of it, until Professor Dumbledore contacted me."

Harry took all of this in, closing his eyes for a moment.

"Harry, if it wouldn't trouble you, I'd like to hear what the nightmare you had was about so I can be certain in my supposition," Dumbledore asked him gently.

Harry nodded and told them all everything he could remember. He shuddered a bit as his mind replayed Voldemort trying to kill Ginny and he could feel her hand on his shoulder in support.

Dumbledore's portrait looked thoughtful for a minute or two, and then he spoke. "Harry, it seems that there is no shortage of women around you who care deeply for you."

Everyone had a confused look on their face, and Harry paused for a moment before responding.

"Err, Professor?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Harry, once again we wander into the unknown areas of our magical world. I'll attempt to explain as best I can. On the night your parents were betrayed you will remember that your mother did everything she could to save you, including giving up her own life. As we know, the love she showed that night protected you from Voldemort's power."

Harry nodded, having known this for many years now.

"As we also recently discovered, Voldemort was in the business of Horcruxes, and that night he unknowingly made you his last Horcrux Harry. Part of his soul was attached to you Harry and you had lived with it for more than 16 years. It took the courageous act of you giving yourself up for your friends to remove that piece of him from you Harry. Again, love."

"Love is one of the things that binds us all together, it is human nature. Of course there are Love Spells and Potions, created by our kind to try and control that which is near impossible to master, but we have not even scratched the surface of understanding what Love can do.

"Harry, I believe that with the part of Voldemort's soul removed from you there still remained a void inside of you that was not able to fill itself. It was this coupled with the extreme stress your body and mind had gone through in recent week that caused your body to collapse. I rather believe that the nightmare you had was symbolic of your body not being able to hold together any longer. In essence Harry, you were dying."

The gasps were very audible around the room. Harry could only focus on Dumbledore, his mentor.

"So I died, again?"

The portrait nodded. "Or you were very close to death, Harry. Either way though, Love found it's way to you again, this time through Ms. Weasley."

Everyone was reeling, all turning to face Ginny, and it was her turn to stare back at the painting. "Me?"

"Yes, my dear. Harry's soul had a void, and the love you had for him in that moment quite simply filled the void. You shared a part of yourself with Harry in his last moments, and that is what saved him. Love, a third time."

Dumbledore paused for a moment to let this sink in. "Healer Smethwyck, I would like to test this theory of mine. A Diagnosis charm if you would please, on both Mr. Potter and Ms. Weasley. If you would be so kind please make it visual to all and focus on their auras."

The Healer nodded and pointed his wand at Harry first, and then Ginny. As he muttered a spell under his breath they each started to emit a faint glow which grew ever stronger. Ginny's was pure white while Harry's was a light tone of red, though it seemed to be gradually making it's way to a complete white.

"Astounding," the Healer exclaimed. "When it comes to the soul and the aura they emit, each person has their own particular color. If this Diagnosis is correct, then what we are seeing is young Ms. Weasley's aura, part of her soul, growing within Harry."

Mrs. Weasley gasped. "Part of Ginny's soul is now in Harry?" she asked with wide eyes. "L-Like a Horcrux?"

Portrait-Dumbledore shook his head. "Most unlike a Horcrux, Molly. It takes the most heinous act in the world to create a Horcrux, murder. The complete opposite happened here between Ginny and Harry, the gift of Life. The two are now bonded in a way, I believe. Ms. Weasley, would I be correct in assuming that since Harry awoke briefly last evening you have been feeling increasingly better?"

Ginny nodded. "I am, actually. The past two days I was feeling miserable and tired but that all stopped once he woke up. I thought it was just me feeling relieved."

Professor McGonagall looked as if her eyes were going to bulge out of their sockets. "This is extraordinary, I must say. Never seen or read anything like it. Mr. Potter, yet again you exceed everyone's hopes for you."

Harry smiled weakly, thinking back to that first day he had learned he was a Wizard. Mr. Ollivander's words rang through his head. "_I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter."_

* * *

After everyone had recovered from the revelations and McGonagall left with Dumbledore's portrait, Healer Smethwyck and Mrs. Weasley worked out a plan for Harry's recovery. Because his vitals and aura readings were still low, Harry would be forced to take it easy for a few weeks. This included lots of rest, relaxation and no unneeded exertion. Healer Smethwyck warned him more than four times about Harry's using magic until he recovered.

"Only if absolutely necessary, Harry. You need to give your body time to recover from this trauma. I would like to keep you here another night but I believe tomorrow it will be safe enough for you to return home, under the care of Mrs. Weasley and Ginny that is."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and Harry could tell she was already planning a regimen of rest for him. Ginny grinned and looked at Harry. "Looks like you're getting your own personal nurse, Harry."

Healer Smethwyck chuckled. "As long as Mr. Potter isn't over excited by anything, that seems like a good idea. I'll be back in to check on you in a few hours,Harry."

Ginny and Harry blushed profusely, trying not to meet Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's eyes. The older couple got up to leave as well, Mrs. Weasley made Ginny promise to come home for dinner and a good night's rest before she would leave and then Harry and Ginny were finally alone.

Ginny closed the door and made her way back to her seat by the bed. Seeing this Harry shifted around a bit and sat up partially, leaving room for her next to him. He patted the bed top and smiled. "Sit with me, Gin."

She was all too happy to, and soon she was snuggled up next to him and resting her head on his shoulder. Neither of them knew what to say at that moment, so they just lay there for a bit. Almost at the same time, they looked for each other's hands and interlaced their fingers. Ginny sighed softly, as if she was letting a balloon of stress out of her.

Harry smiled and kissed the top of her head, smelling her hair. "Thank you," he said quietly.

She shifted and looked up at him. "What for?"

"For saving my life," he answered, as if it was as plain as the freckles on her nose.

Ginny broke out in a brilliant smile that seemed to set off her red hair like a sunset. "You've saved my life countless times Harry, it was only fair that I do the same for you," she said, reaching up to kiss him softly. "I still owe you, in fact."

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "Ginny, I think we've had about enough adventure and dances with death to last us many lifetimes. Don't go looking for ways to repay me like this..."

"For your information, I wasn't planning to Mr. Potter," she said matter-of-factly. "But I plan to do my best in other things."

Harry nuzzled her forehead with his slowly. "Just being here for me is enough." Taking his free hand, he placed it over his chest. "You gave me quite possibly the best and most meaningful gift ever."

Ginny added her hand on top of his and responded before kissing him again. "I'd do it again."

He smiled as their kiss broke off. "I know, but let's try not to have that happen. I'd _really_ have a hard time getting you a birthday present that's worth two life-savings, much less one."

She giggled for a few moments, nudging him softly. "Well, we know your sense of humor is still good."

Harry just smiled and brought their joined hands up to his chest as well, so that both pairs of their hands were sandwiched together on his chest. "Really though, thank you," he said, gulping down the knot in his throat.

Her answer was a short and sweet kiss to his lips. "I love you Harry. It's all Love."

He just nodded and pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her. Harry had known for over a year that he and Ginny were soulmates, and now it wasn't just a phrase anymore.

"Love is pretty great," he said softly.

* * *

_So there it is! Mystery illness solved and cured, as promised. Harry's got a few weeks of recuperation ahead and a very willing Ginny to nurse him through it. What new things will the two discover about their new connection? How will it drive them closer? We'll let those questions simmer for a bit and head back to Ron, Hermione and the Grangers as they pack up and head back to England._

_If you like what you've read, please let me know by Favs and reviews! I want to know what you guys like so I can keep doing it. As always, huge thanks to my Beta reader for their help!_

_-Midnight_


	11. Comfort

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book. _

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 11 - Comfort**

"Ow! That one was on purpose 'Mione!" Ron exclaimed as he rubbed the spot on his sun-burned neck that she had just poked.

Hermione couldn't help but giggle as she walked alongside him. "I couldn't help it, it's just right there." She wanted so badly to say that she had been right but pursed her lips instead. The two had spent the day at the beach while her parents were busy closing their dental practice and packing their belongings for the trip back to England.

Ron saw the look on her face and sighed as he took her hand with a gentle squeeze. "Yes, I know. I should have let you do my Sunblocking Charm, I was too distracted to do it right."

A grin crossed his face and Hermione knew why. She had bought a new bikini and had taken off her shirt as he had been concentrating on covering his whole body with the complicated charm.

Hermione just smiled and sidled up to him so they were walking shoulder to shoulder. It was a nice day and she was enjoying it with the one person she wanted to with the most. She had her parents back, had gained a little sister in the process and there wasn't a single worry in the world for her at the moment. It seemed like nothing could ruin the last five days.

It was the day before they were all going to return home. Hermione and Ron had arranged a Portkey back to her parents' old home for the next morning with the Australian Ministry of Magic. After seeing the similarities of the Faulty Cauldron and Paragon Alley to their English counterparts, they hadn't been surprised when the Ministry looked nearly similar.

The two had even met the Australian Minister of Magic for a few minutes as he passed through the lobby there. He must have recognized them because he had come over to introduce himself. Hermione remembered to ask about her sister and the Minister had looked surprised at the news.

"Most peculiar how that seems to happen," he had said. "To my knowledge, purely coincidental. While I'm not particularly happy that Isla slipped through our records as a muggle-born child, I am glad that she has been discovered and will be getting the best of educations at Hogwarts. Give my best to Kingsley when you get back for me, will you?"

Ron looked over at her for a moment as he shifted their bag on his shoulder. He was thinking about their vacation time here down under as well. True, they had spent a lot of time with Hermione's family but they also had had plenty of private moments. Just last night they had dinner at a restaurant on the beach and there was a spectacular sunset that seemed to make her face glow as he watched her. He smiled as he thought about that moment and hoped that they would have many more moments like that.

They were close to home now, and just down the street they could see the school where Isla had gone to for the past few months. Hermione checked her watch and smiled.

"School will be out in a few minutes. Let's wait for Isla?" she asked.

Ron nodded and they took a seat on a bench across the street. At first, Hermione's little sister had been extremely shy towards him but she had warmed up to him in the past few days. Isla seemed to be shy about everything and to everyone she didn't know, but she lit up when the discussion turned to anything in the magical world.

Hermione's mother confessed to both of them, one night after Isla had gone to bed, that this was one of the best things that could have happened to the little girl. "This is the most excited she has been about anything. She talks about you non-stop Hermione. Having a big sister will be good for her."

As they sat there waiting for the school bell to ring she looked over to Ron and saw that he was already looking at her. She giggled and nudged him. "And what are _you _looking at?"

Ron just grinned. "You. I like seeing you happy, is all. You never giggled much before at school and I like hearing it." He blushed as he said it, thinking he was sounding a little too cheesy.

Hermione leaned in to kiss him, bringing his chin up to hers with one of her hands. It was a chaste kiss, short and sweet but the effect it had on him told her that it served its purpose. He had gone tense as he was talking, but the kiss melted that all away. She leaned back away from his lips a little but was still looking into his eyes. "Ronald Weasley, don't ever be afraid to tell me what you're thinking."

She smiled and moved to sit back up, then cried out sharply as her head jerked back a bit. Ron looked to his side and saw that some of Hermione's curly hair had gotten stuck on a jagged piece of wood on the backside of the bench. He took care of the knot quickly and watched as Hermione rubbed her head and sighed. It wasn't the first time her long and curly hair had gotten in her way.

Ron smiled and nudged her shoulder. "You're gonna make yourself bald if you keep doing that," he said playfully.

Hermione giggled a bit. "Being bald might be better than having all this hair everywhere. Maybe I should have it cut."

He shook his head as he ran his fingers through her hair gently. "Please don't 'Mione, I love your hair this long."

Looking at him as if she didn't believe him, she put a hand up to her hair and twirled some of it around her fingers. "Really? You like my hair like this?"

Ron nodded as his hand left her hair and ran down her arm slowly. "I do. I love everything about you." This time he didn't blush, and he picked up her hand to kiss it.

Hermione felt her stomach do a flip as he spoke. Her mouth scrunched to one side and she looked as if she were about to cry. "Ron, you are just amazing," she said quietly. "How is it you know exactly what to say?"

He smiled and shrugged a little. "Not sure, but what I do know is that I have lots of lost time to make up for, so I do what I can."

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him towards her for a long kiss, which was only broken by the sound of the school bell ringing and the sound of kids stampeding out the doors. They looked at each other for a few moments as they broke the kiss, smiles on their faces, before they both stood and crossed the street.

They didn't have to wait long for Isla, in fact she was waiting for them near the gated entrance to the school grounds nearest to their parent's home. She was excited to see them and ran to give Hermione a hug. "I thought I felt you two outside!" There was a fierce smile on her face that seemed contagious, because both Ron and Hermione were smiling too.

Hermione took Isla's knapsack and they started walking home, Isla between them. "Well, we were walking this way and stopped to wait for you little sister. We were at the beach today."

Isla made a face at that. "And I was stuck learning maths. Totally unfair."

Ron laughed. "Well, I still have sand in my shoes, so maybe it's a fair trade off."

The laughter and jokes continued for the rest of their walk home.

* * *

After some more packing and stowing which had been made much easier on everyone with Hermione's Extended Bag charm, they all sat down to a quick dinner. Hermione's mother was insisting everyone get a good night's sleep because the next day would be long for everyone. There was more to do in the morning, and even if they traveled back in the afternoon, it would be morning again in England when they got there. Everyone agreed that it would be better to power through the day and get reacquainted with the time difference in one day.

A while later, Ron was searching around the guest room they had been sleeping in for any items that might have gotten away from him. Hermione walked in from the adjoining bathroom wearing only a towel wrapped around her and Ron froze for a moment.

Seeing this, Hermione paused too and blushed. "Oh, sorry Ron. I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything."

Ron shook his head vigorously. "Blimey Hermione, I'm not embarrassed. It's just that I don't think I've ever seen you like that," he said with a smile on his face. "You're usually all dressed when you leave a bathroom."

She smiled a little. "You're right, I normally would. It's a self-confidence thing I guess, but with you I feel comfortable all the time."

Ron crossed the room and sat on the bed next to her, noticing her hair was all wet. "'Mione, when it comes to confidence you have nothing to worry about. You are beautiful no matter how much, or little you are wearing," he said, a bit of cheekiness in his voice.

Hermione giggled as she found the pajamas she was looking for. "Ronald, you are delusional."

He crossed his arms. "Am not! Sometimes I wonder how in the blue blazes you ever want _me. _Trust me, you are amazing. I'm sort of an authority on this matter."

She rolled her eyes. "Ron..." she started in a tone like she was going to scold him, but her grin betrayed her. Looking down at herself she saw the ugly curse scar on her left arm just above her elbow, the one her encounter with Bellatrix had given her. She turned to cover it with the tank top she had just picked up, when she felt his hand on her wrist.

Ron was smiling up at her. "'Mione, you don't ever have to hide that from me. Like I said, you're beautiful just as you are." He kissed her hand then closed his eyes and turned his head slightly so she could change.

Hermione paused for a bit, but then smiled. She did indeed feel comfortable enough to change in front of him, but the fact that he wanted to give her some privacy to do so warmed her. A thought went through her head, one that made her stomach flip.

Silently, she took her wand off the bedside table and she wordlessly locked the bedroom door before dropping the towel from around herself. She waited a few more moments, watching him carefully before walking over to him. Leaning in, she brought his chin over to hers with her hand, and kissed him lightly on the lips.

* * *

_(If you'd like to see what these two got up to, look no further than chapter 1 of Snippets, the companion story to Post Script that includes all the Rated M scenes and more!)_

_Thanks for reading everyone. I know it was more of a fluff than a plot chapter this time around, but I felt I needed to grow Ron and Hermione's relationship a bit more. Next time, Ron and Hermione will be back at the Burrow and learning what happened while they were gone. We'll also see how Harry is getting along under Mrs. Weasley's watchful eye and Ginny's care. _

_As always, Fav and review if you like what you read! Comments and criticisms are always welcome. Big thanks to my Beta reader for their help!_


	12. Fraudulent Thoughts

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book. _

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 12 - Fraudulent Thoughts**

Harry had settled into a new routine at the Burrow within a few days of returning. His orders from Healer Smethwyck were thoroughly enforced by Mrs. Weasley and Ginny, though after a few days of being reminded what he could and couldn't do he was going a little bit crazy. Granted, most of the things he wasn't allowed to do were things he just wasn't feeling up to just yet, but the constant reminders were getting just a tad too grating.

He knew that they meant well though and so he took it all in stride, enjoying the extra attention he was getting. As he was being released from St. Mungo's he was told to take it easy and not do any strenuous activities, limiting his walking to the garden and the woods around the Burrow. He was also warned against using all but the most simple spells for the time being, to let his body and energy recover on its own.

Ginny was the best company he could ask for, even with the constant questions about how he was feeling. One of the things they needed to look out for was Harry getting sick with the common cold and other illnesses while his body's defenses were so low. Ginny had taken to checking his forehead by kissing him there every few hours, something that he thoroughly enjoyed.

She had sat with him that first day back on a comfortable armchair that had been moved under the back porch for him as he finally had the chance to read the letter from his mother that the Dursley's had kept from him all these years. Harry stared at the parchment in his hands for a while, lost in his thoughts before she wrapped her arm around him and pulled him close.

"I'm right here with you love," she said as she gave his arm a squeeze, knowing that this was going to be rough on him.

Harry just nodded a bit and put a fake smile on as he broke the wax seal on the letter and opened it slowly, holding it so that Ginny could read it along with him. With an audible sigh, he forced his eyes to focus on the page. He recognized the handwriting from the letters he had found in Sirius' bedroom the previous year. There were a few splotches on the page, as if his mother had been crying while writing.

_October 21st, 1981_

_My Dearest Harry,_

_I hope upon every hair in Merlin's beard that you will never have to read this letter, but I fear that my time here with you may not be much longer._

_It pains me to think that you have grown up without me being there for you and I can only imagine the type of world you are living in. I hope beyond all hope that it is free of Voldemort's terror, and that you are living your life freely as every child should be able to._

_If you are reading this letter then I must assume that none of your father's friends or mine have survived and that you have grown up in the care of my sister, your Aunt Petunia. I know she has her faults, but please forgive her; she is the only family you have left._

"Got that bit wrong Mum," he said quietly as he looked over at Ginny with a small smile.

_By now you will have learned what happened to your father and I, and I ask you only this Harry; please do not grieve for us. We've both lived amazing lives and our greatest accomplishment is you. We want you to live your life to it's fullest, knowing that we will always be there with you in spirit. _

_Before we went into hiding, your father stored all of our family's heirlooms and treasured possessions in our family vault. They will all belong to you Harry, but there is one in particular your father would want you to have. In the wizarding world there is a custom to give a witch or wizard a watch on their coming of age birthday. In a jewelry box in our vault you will find a pocket watch, one that had been passed down to every firstborn child in the Potter line for nearly two centuries. It's only a little something to remember us by, and we hope that you can find it and pass it on to your own children when the time comes._

_My Harry, I wish you all the best. I only hope that you will never have to read this letter and that your father and I will be there for you until we are old and gray. If not, then know that we are very proud of you and we love you with every fiber of our being._

_With all of my love,_

_Mum._

A tear fell from his eyes as he set the letter down, staring off into the distance someplace past the low stone fence around the garden. Ginny pulled him closer and rested her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around him. She could only imagine what he was thinking about and feeling at the moment. Harry wasn't the sort to share his feelings readily, and while that was something she was working on with him, in this moment he deserved to be alone in his thoughts.

* * *

In that first week back at the Burrow there was only one other notable event. Harry had sent an owl to Gringott's requesting a list of the items currently stored in his family's vault. Apparently the goblins at the bank never slept or the night shift had nothing better to do, because the very next morning a large tawny owl wearing a sash bearing the Gringott's logo arrived carrying a parcel.

Harry sat in his outside armchair while looking through the file, constantly being surprised by what had been cataloged. The vault itself had to be bigger than the whole first floor of the Burrow to hold just the furniture that was listed as being stored from Potter Manor. The catalog also included a detailed list of every item in the various jewelry boxes and clothes trunks, right down to the carat of each gem. While he didn't exactly like the fact that someone else was going through his parent's things, he appreciated the trouble the goblins had gone through for his sake while he couldn't make the trip himself.

As he read through everything a few things seemed to jump off the page at him. The first was the pocket watch that his mother's letter had mentioned. It was listed as being in the largest jewelry box in the vault along with his mother's jewelry and, to his surprise, their wedding rings. The last thing on the list caught his attention. The goblins had it listed as a rather large unfinished portrait that seemed to have a protection spell of sorts on it, preventing anyone from touching the canvas or painting on it.

Harry made notes on the pages next to the things he wanted to see or take out of the vault before he returned to school in the fall, then tucked all the pages into the folder and closed it. He closed his eyes and sighed as he stretched out his legs. Ginny had taken to sleeping in Hermione's bed since his collapse in order to let him sleep peacefully each night without the chance of her waking him up, but the last few nights had been rough. He was missing the warmth of her body curled up against him and the sound of her breathing.

He had awoken in a particularly bad mood that morning because of how long it had taken him to fall asleep, and how tired he had been feeling over the past couple of days. Breakfast had grated on his nerves for some reason and rather than take his frustrations out on his adoptive family he had finished quickly and come outside.

Thinking back to the Occlumency training he had been through, he started to clear his mind and just listened to the sounds around him. There were a few birds chirping and calling in the woods near the house, and it sounded like the garden gnomes had gained ground in the garden again from the amount of snickering he could hear.

He was so focused on the sounds of nature that he jumped a bit when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at Ginny and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't hear you coming Gin'."

Ginny smiled down at him. "Just came out to see how you were. You've been a bit quiet this morning," she mentioned as she sat on the arm of the chair. She had a few envelopes in her hand.

Harry shrugged. "I didn't sleep all that well last night, is all. Who's the mail from?"

"Another fan letter and another request from Rita Skeeter to write your biography," she said with a wince, knowing what his reaction would be.

He sighed, shrugging again. "Knowing her, she's going to title it 'Harry Potter, The Fraud Who Lived', and she'd be right."

Ginny froze, looking at him confused. "Wait, what?"

"I'm a fraud Ginny, I'm not who everyone thinks I am. I'm not this great wizard that everyone makes me out to be if you think about it. Getting the Sorcerer's Stone in my first year? Ron and Hermione got us through all the defenses and I just got lucky getting the Stone out of the mirror. The Triwizard tournament? I had help the whole year. I couldn't find any of Voldemort's Horcruxes myself, and I couldn't even realize that I was one of them. Hell, I'm even a fraud at Quidditch. It was pure luck I caught that first one," he said in a low and bitter voice as he looked away from her.

Ginny bit her bottom lip, stunned at what Harry was saying. This was such a big mood swing for him and she was extremely worried.

"Harry, how could you even think that? From what Ron told me, _you_ were the one to figure out how to get past Fluffy, and _you_ caught the key you three needed. _You_ were the one who saved me in the Chamber of Secrets and killed that basilisk and Riddle's journal."

She reached over and cupped her hand under his chin to gently bring his face around, pleading with desperation in her voice. "Harry, please look at me." When he finally did, she took his hands into hers.

"Even if you got lucky sometimes or had help, it doesn't mean that all you've done is a sham. Honestly Harry, you are one of the bravest and smartest people I know, and the best flyer at school. Bloody hell, you were the one that figured out how to get rid of Voldemort once and for all, and you finished him! Do you hear what you're even saying Harry? Do you get that _you_ were the one who saved everyone?"

Harry watched her as she spoke, seeing how frightened she was and how close she was to crying. He realized that she was scared and worried about him and suddenly he was angry with himself. She was the one person who cared about him the most, who loved him beyond anything and had saved his life not even a week before, and he had made her cry because of some insecurities and a bad mood. He looked into her bright brown eyes and screamed at himself in his mind. He smiled a little and sighed.

"Answer me something, Ginny. How is it that you can love such a big prat?"

Ginny laughed a bit and sniffled as she wiped a tear away. She stood and sat next to him in the chair, leaning against him.

"I'm sorry, Gin'. I was stupid just then and felt miserable for myself, and I hurt you in the process. I didn't sleep well either, so I'm not making the best judgements."

She squeezed his hand. "It's okay Harry, I'm here for you no matter what happens. Were you having nightmares again last night?"

He shook his head. "No, just hard a hard time falling asleep. I miss you next to me Gin', you're the best sleeping drought of all." He smiled a bit and kissed the top of her head. "I don't ever want to sleep away from you if we can help it, even if I'm sick or something."

Ginny smiled and nuzzled against him. "You have a deal Mr. Potter. No more sleeping apart."

They sat there pressed together for a while until Harry looked to the ground where the other letters lay and motioned to them. "Who're the rest from?"

She leaned over to grab them and handed him one that was already opened, addressed to the Weasley family. "This one's from Hermione and Ron. They found her parents safe and sound, and they think they'll be back here tonight if everything goes well. Hermione mentioned a big surprise she had to share, but she wanted to tell us in person."

Harry smirked. "That's Hermione all right, teasing something before she tells you." A grin played across his face. "You don't suppose Ron proposed or anything?"

The look on Ginny's face was what he expected and he laughed loudly as Ginny punched his arm. "As much as I want to see that happen, I don't think he's ready just yet," she said. "Hermione on the other hand…"

He raised his eyebrow and looked at Ginny. "What about her?"

Ginny sighed. "Let's just say that if Ron proposed she wouldn't even think twice before saying yes. She's been all about him for years. I wouldn't be surprised if those two ermm, took their relationship to the next level down there, and I'd bet you Hermione would have initiated it," she said with a giggle.

"The next level, hmm." He gave a look that included a lopsided smile.

She caught this and shook her head. "You prat! Have you already forgotten that little bit about not exerting or exciting yourself right now?"

Harry sighed dramatically, "Damn, I knew I was forgetting something,"

A smirk crossed Ginny's face and she turned to whisper into his ear. "Though after you're all recovered and everything…"

Harry grinned and pulled her closer in. "I can't wait."

* * *

Harry was sitting at the kitchen table later that day watching Ginny and Mrs. Weasley make dinner when they all heard two loud _Cracks!_ from the back porch. Ginny barely caught a pot lid before it fell to the floor as Mrs. Weasley turned sharply and ran to meet Ron and Hermione. Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry chortled into the back of his hand, as they heard the sounds of their two friends being welcomed back in the other room.

Hermione and Ron walked into the kitchen a minute or two later, Ron's hair showing the telltale signs of having received one of the famous Mrs. Weasley hugs. Ginny and Hermione hugged as Ron took a seat opposite Harry at the table looking pretty beat.

"How was the trip?" Harry asked, a grin plastered on his face.

"The trip was great mate, it was the unpacking and cleaning today that's done me in."

Hermione sat next to Ron with a scowl. "It wasn't _that_ bad Ron!" She looked to Harry and Ginny as she explained. "When we got back to my parent's place this afternoon it was trashed. Death Eater's must have been in there several times in the last year looking for information on me or them. Took us a little bit to clean up, especially all the scorch marks and curse-traps."

Ron nodded and muttered something about it being like Grimmauld Place before their 5th year.

Ginny grinned. "So everything's ok then? How was the rest of the trip?"

"It was good," Ron started. "Made it to the beach a few times, saw the sights and did some shopping. Oh, that reminds me."

He reached into the duffle bag he had brought in and tossed them souvenirs that he and Hermione had picked out. They both got a small tub of broomstick wax, and there was also a Holyhead Harpies pin for Ginny. They had also gotten a teapot cozy for Mrs. Weasley with some Sydney landmarks on it.

"The Quidditch store owner there is a big fan of the Harpies, she nearly squealed when Hermione mentioned that she had met Gwenog Jones at one of Slughorn's parties in 6th year. Swears by this wax too, keeps the handle looking brand new and lessens the wind drag. Same stuff the Muggles use on surfboards," Ron said.

He and Hermione shared a look as if they were holding something back.

"What else happened?" Ginny asked as she noticed their look, wondering if there was some truth to Harry's joke earlier.

"Well, there was five of us who came back today, not four," Hermione started and proceeded to tell them all about her adopted sister.

Ginny hugged Hermione again over the table and Mrs. Weasley had her hands over her heart. "That's wonderful, dear!" she said. "We should have dinner this weekend here with your parents and little Isla, just let me know what day would be best for them."

Hermione nodded. "I'll ask them tomorrow. Isla will have the time of her life really, we've told her stories already. Be prepared for loads of questions though," she said with a little chuckle. "So, anything interesting happen here while we were gone?"

This brought on a series of looks between Harry, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. It took the three of them about fifteen minutes to explain everything because of all the questions Ron and Hermione had.

At the end of it all, the room was silent as Ron and Hermione stared across the table at their two friends, Hermione's mouth slightly open.

"So let me get this straight," Ron said, still blinking and trying to understand. "You nearly died _again_ and Ginny saved you with a kiss? This isn't some strange Muggle story that you've turned into a joke on us?"

Hermione scowled and elbowed him. "I don't think they'd joke about this, Ronald." She put a hand over her heart and smiled. "That's so romantic though, having part of Ginny's soul in you Harry. It's like you two are bonded together now, if Professor Dumbledore and that Healer are right."

Harry nodded. "They seem to think so, they showed us with some Aura spell that pretty much proves it." He smiled and took Ginny's hand in his as Mrs. Weasley floated some plates and a large chicken and pasta dish in front of them all.

"Eat up you lot," Mrs. Weasley said, still excited about the impending visit from the Grangers and looked directly at Ron and Hermione. "You two have had a long day, so go relax and get a good night's sleep. Arthur, Charlie and Percy are all working late tonight, some sort of meeting at the Ministry. Ginny will do the dishes when you are all done."

The youngest Weasley's eyes glinted in the kitchen light as she looked at her mother. "But I helped you make dinner!"

"Yes dear, but Ron and Hermione need their rest, and Harry shouldn't be doing any chores at the moment. Now, eat up!" Mrs. Weasley said and walked out of the room, Ginny scowling at her retreating back.

Harry couldn't help but grin. "Don't worry," he whispered to her, "I won't leave you alone at it."

Ginny smiled as she shook her head. "That's ok Harry, Mum's just doing it because I still can't use magic to clean them. I'll be so glad for my birthday," she said, muttering that last part.

Everyone grinned at that and tucked into their meal, chatting about other things that had happened.

* * *

Harry was true to his word and helped Ginny clean up as soon as Mrs. Weasley went upstairs for the night, and they too turned turned in early. Ginny wanted Harry to have a good night's sleep and he was in agreement with her, knowing that as soon as he was laying next to her he'd be more relaxed.

They walked hand in hand up to Ginny's room and Harry closed the door behind them as Ginny crossed to her dresser to find some pajamas. Harry just stepped out of his pants and took a seat on the bed as he watched Ginny, a smile on his face.

He couldn't see what she was rummaging for but it seemed like she was having trouble picking between two things.

… _which one he likes, _Harry heard.

"You look good in anything Gin'," he said and yawned. Hearing her gasp, he looked back at her. "What?"

Ginny was looking at him. "How did you know I was thinking about which top you liked?"

Harry blinked. "Thinking? I thought you were saying it out loud… well it sounded like you were anyways," he said, confused.

She looked at him, holding her pajamas to her chest and wondering what was going on.

_I have no idea either Gin'._

Harry blinked. "Hold on, this is weird. I just thought I heard you talking to yourself, but it was in my head."

"I heard you saying something too, but you didn't open your mouth." Ginny said slowly, as if she didn't believe what she was saying. "Harry, what if this is something to do with the soul thing?"

He stood and started pacing around the room before speaking. "Dumbledore did say that this is something completely new and unknown. You may be right…" he paused for a second then looked over at her. "Hold on, I want to try something." It looks as if he was concentrating for a moment, and then Ginny heard his voice in her head.

_Gin', can you hear me?_

_Bloody hell, I can!_

They both blinked, eyes locked onto each other.

"Harry, did we just use telepathy?" she asked as she moved over to the bed, looking stunned.

"If we didn't, then I don't know what that was," was his answer as he sat down next to her. "It makes sense though if you think about it; I have part of your being in me now, so we're connected somehow."

Ginny nodded slowly. "I can see how it's possible, but it's been a week since you collapsed Harry, why is it that we only discovered this thing tonight?"

Harry shrugged and scooted back on her bed to lean against the wall, moving his right foot back and forth as he replied. "Could be anything really, or maybe I needed to recover enough for it to kick in."

She stared at the wall for a bit before looking at him.

_This is amazing,_ she thought out loud.

_It sure is something else, treacle tart. _

Harry could hear her giggle in his head. _Treacle tart? If you want to use that pet name you'll need to find another girlfriend Harry._

_Then I guess I'll have to come up with another one dear, cause we're bonded remember?_

Ginny grinned and swatted at his foot. "This is incredible. It's like we're having a normal conversation, only not so normal." She stood and walked into her adjoining bathroom to change.

_Can you still hear me in here Harry?_

_Loud and clear Gin'. I wonder how far away we can be and still be able to do this._

_We'll have to try it sometime, but if we're right and this is because of the soul bond then maybe it has no range?_

_Good point. _

Ginny walked back into the room in her pajamas as Harry was yawning loudly.

"Harry, you look kind of dizzy…" she said as she joined him on the bed again, putting a hand to his forehead.

He nodded. "I feel a lot more tired, but my head isn't spinning or anything. Maybe this telepathy thing takes some energy?" he mused out loud.

"It would make sense, your body isn't up to snuff lately."

Ginny pulled back her covers and laid next to him, pulling him down next to her gently. Harry smiled as he took off his glasses and laid them on the bedside table next to their wands. "Tomorrow then, we can explore this more."

She smiled back at him before turning in place and cuddling in close against his chest, her hand finding his so she could wrap it around herself under the blanket. "Yes, tomorrow, Mr. Potter. Right now as your nurse I'm ordering you to get some much-needed sleep."

He closed his eyes and grinned after kissing the back of her head. "Yes ma'am."

* * *

_Hrmm, what does this new-found ability mean for the two lovebirds? Tune in next time to see!_

_Please Fav and review if you like the story - I want to know what you guys want to see! As always, a big thanks to my Beta reader for their help with ideas and proofreading!_

_-Midnight_


	13. Surprises

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book. _

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 13 - Surprises **

_Swish!_

Harry grinned as Ginny zoomed by on her Eclipse, chasing after the Quaffle that was flying all on it's own. He could hear a whoop of joy as she spun around to catch it coming head on, then releasing it so it could start another play attempt. He had been noticing Ginny's frequent stares at their new Eclipse broomsticks and finally convinced her that he would not feel down on himself watching her have fun on hers while he couldn't.

It was one thing to ride around and get used to the heavy-caliber broom, but Harry knew that she was pining for someone to join her up there, so she could practice passing and catching a Quaffle to get ready for the Quidditch season at school. Ron was back to helping George at the store nearly every day, and Hermione was reluctant to even fly at the speeds of a normal Hogwarts game, much less take a hand off the broom to toss a ball around. She had been spending more time with her family as well, and so Ginny had to make do zooming around by herself until Harry saw something in the Daily Prophet the previous morning.

Not being able to go to Diagon Alley himself, Harry had sent off a delivery order with Pigwidgeon, instructing the shopkeepers at Quality Quidditch Supplies to bill his account at Gringott's for any expenses. They had apparently jumped right on the order when they saw who it was from, because the delivery owl had arrived the very next day.

Harry and Ginny were having breakfast when a large black owl landed on the open windowsill with a rather large package. Both Ginny and Mrs. Weasley were heading over to see what is was and didn't notice Harry's grin.

"It's for you, Harry," Ginny said as she brought the package over and set it down in front of him. Harry just grinned and slid it over so it was in front of her.

"Actually Gin', it's something I got for you."

She looked at him in surprise, then pushed aside her empty plate and started to undo the packaging. As she peeled off the last layer Harry could see a grin crossing her face.

"Harry, what is this?" she asked as she pulled out the bright red ball.

"Well Ms. Quidditch Captain, that would be a Quaffle..." he said, grinning at the light punch she gave him. "It's a brand new Self-Propelled Practice Quaffle. I saw it in the paper yesterday and wanted to get it for you. It's charmed to act almost like a Snitch, flying around by itself or back and forth to you so you can practice by yourself."

Harry could see the amazement on her face and reached over for the instruction parchment, giving it a read over. "Says here it's got five levels of speed and difficulty, you just need to tap it that many times with a wand. Looks like you can also have it fly around randomly so you can chase it, or have it act as if you were catching and passing with teammates. The charm turns off too, so you can use it like a normal ball."

Ginny looked at him with a smile, but she seemed hesitant. "Harry this is amazing, but you shouldn't have! It must have cost a lot, and to have it delivered... It's not even my birthday or anything yet."

He shook his head and put his hand on hers. "I wanted to do it for you Gin'. I wanted you to be able to practice even if I can't yet. Besides, I believe I have a few years of birthdays and Christmas' to make up for."

She smiled wide and nearly tackled him in a giant hug there at the table. Over her shoulder, Harry could see Mrs. Weasley smiling too as she turned to continue magically cleaning her stove. Harry was nearly dragged outside by Ginny in her excitement over giving it a try.

"Don't forget the Grangers are coming by for dinner tonight!" Mrs. Weasley called after them. "Make sure you're cleaned up and ready by six!"

Ginny was already mounting her broom and setting the new Quaffle off to fly, and Harry could only grin as he got settled into his arm chair. She stayed up in the air for hours at a time, taking only small breaks.

_How is it up there love?_ Harry asked her through their connection.

_Wonderful Harry! It's like a full on practice up here. _

He grinned as he watched her zoom over the top of the Burrow to the other side for a bit. _You know, this telepathy is going to be pretty useful during games. _

_I was just thinking the same thing, it's like we'll each have a second set of eyes at a different vantage point._

_So long as no one knows about it. I'm sure the other teams will complain about 'unfair advantages'. _

_Bully for them,_ Ginny said with a mental giggle. _Then we'll have to make sure they don't find out. _

_Yeah, it would only spark another torrent of questions from everyone. Though, we should think about telling someone about this though. _

_Who, Harry?_

_Ron and Hermione for sure. I bet Healer Smethwyck would have kittens if he heard, and your parents would just get worried all over again. Might be best to just leave it to our friends for now, and maybe Dumbledore's portrait when we get back?_

_Sounds good to me. We probably should keep the count low. How are you feeling by the way?_

Ginny had taken to asking him that question more and more frequently ever since the night they discovered their new ability, and Harry just grinned.

_I'm fine Gin', not feeling tired or anything. Maybe we were right about the whole energy and being tired thing._

_Sure sounds like it. _

She swept back over the top of the house, diving for the Quaffle near the ground, and Harry could hear her whoops of excitement as she pulled out of the dive at the last moment. He knew that she would be taking a break soon, and he had an idea.

"Kreacher, could you come here for a moment?"

The house-elf appeared next to Harry with a _Crack!_ "Master Harry called?"

"Hi Kreacher. Mrs. Weasley's gone for some groceries, and I was wondering if you could make a pitcher of iced tea for Ginny's next break."

"Kreacher is glad to do so for Master. Kreacher will return in a moment." The little ugly-faced creature said, disappearing as quickly as he had come. It took only a few minutes and the house elf was back, carrying a tray with glasses and a pitcher.

_Come down for a break love, I've got iced tea._

_Be right there Harry,_ Ginny responded. She caught the Quaffle one more time and brought it down with her, landing a few feet away.

"Budge over Harry," she said with a flushed face as she set her broom down beside the chair. "I need to take a breather."

He gladly obliged, resting his arm on the top of the armchair as she got comfortable next to him. She looked winded but thoroughly pleased and there were loose strands of hair all over her face that had escaped her ponytail. Harry thought she looked amazing, even after all the exertion of flying and training.

"Looks like you were having a good time up there," he said and he handed her a tall glass of the iced tea.

Ginny took a few large gulps and breathed out loudly before answering. "It's absolutely amazing Harry. I don't think there's even a possibility of us losing the Quidditch Cup this year."

"If Kreacher may say so, Mistress Ginny looked like a professional player up there," Kreacher said as he set the tray down on a stand next to them.

"Thank you Kreacher," Ginny said with a grin. "Oh, thank you for the iced tea too."

"Kreacher," Harry started, thinking for a moment. "Have you given any thought to what I asked you before, about me paying you?"

Kreacher smirked. "As Master Harry asked, Kreacher has been thinking about it. Master Harry must know that this is not normal, and that Master has already been too good to Kreacher. Kreacher will continue to think about it."

"That's fine, just don't take forever to think about it okay?" Harry said with a grin.

"As Master wishes." Kreacher paused for a bit, as if he was hearing something. "Mistress Ginny, your mother has returned. Does Mistress wish Kreacher to help prepare dinner?"

Ginny smiled a little. "I'm sure Mum would appreciate the help Kreacher, and you don't have to call me Mistress, you know."

The house elf smirked again, which on his face looked eerily sinister. "Mistress Ginny is not the only one practicing today," he said as he walked into the house from the back door.

Harry could see a giant blush on her face and he grinned. "Intuitive little bugger, isn't he."

She giggled and leaned over to kiss him. "He sure is, Mr. Potter."

Ginny laid her head on his shoulder and smiled as she let her mind drift. Harry rested his head back against the edge of the armchair and lost himself in some thoughts as well. He thought of his future self as he had done many times in the past year or so, and just like every other time, Ginny was there in this one. She sighed happily next to him, and he had to smile at that. He felt incredibly lucky to have her and he knew that someday he would be asking her to become Mrs. Potter.

* * *

Quite a few miles away and a few hours later, Hermione was standing in her parent's living room waiting to take them and Isla to the Burrow for dinner. Her mother was putting the final touches on a pie she had baked and packing it into a container, and Isla was pacing nervously which caused a fit of giggles from her older sister.

"Don't be nervous Isla, the Weasley's are amazing people."

Isla looked up at her with a smile. "I know, I know, I'm just nervous about meeting other witches and wizards, is all." She paused for a moment. "Are _all_ of Ron's siblings going to be there?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not everyone, no. Just his parents and Ginny, oh and Harry of course. George might stop by later." She smiled gently. "Worried about being around a lot of new people?"

Isla nodded. "A little, but I guess I need to get over that if I'm going to go to Hogwarts. Hermione, what does Apparating feel like?"

"Hrm. Well, the first time might be a little scary but you get used to it. It feels like you're being squished down a pipe but that only lasts about half a second," she said honestly, giving Isla's shoulder a squeeze.

Both Mr. and Mrs. Granger walked in then. "Ready to go girls?" their father asked.

Hermione nodded. "I was just telling Isla about the Apparating bit. It may be a little uncomfortable but it'll be over quickly. Everyone's going to need to hold onto me and we can go.

About a minute later they appeared at the front porch of the Burrow, and Ron was there to greet them. He immediately crossed over to Hermione and gave her a big hug and a small kiss; they hadn't seen each other since early that morning.

Mr. Granger was shaking his head a bit. "Such a strange feeling…" He offered his hand to Ron, who took and shook it firmly.

"Come on in, please. Dad just came home so everyone's here now." He opened the door for them and walked in last with Hermione, taking her hand as she passed him.

Hermione smiled and leaned in to whisper to him. "I hope you asked your dad not to ask them too many questions," she said with a small giggle, knowing how Mr. Weasley got when he was around Muggles.

Ron grinned. "I did ask him, but no promises 'Mione. You know how he is."

They looked over and saw that all of their parents were talking energetically with each other. Their mothers were near the stove; they could easily guess that they were talking about dinner. Isla was introducing herself to Harry and Ginny who were sitting at the table already. Ron and Hermione took a seat across from them.

Isla had gotten over her shyness it seemed; she was chatting up a storm with Ginny who she had taken an immediate liking to. Ginny looked over to Hermione at one point with a big smile on her face.

Just before dinner was ready Isla stopped and looked at both Harry and Ginny, a confused look on her face.

"That's strange. Everyone I've ever met has this different aura around them, but it looks like Harry has part of yours, Ginny."

Both Ginny and Harry looked at Hermione, puzzled.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that Isla's an aura-reader…" she said sheepishly. Everyone was impressed that she could see that, and before the platters of food hit the table they had filled Isla in on what had happened to Harry and Ginny.

Isla grinned. "Aww, it's like the story of Snow White; kissing the princess, ermm, prince to wake up." Her face took a more serious tone. "Does this sort of stuff happen a lot though?"

Hermione shook her head. "Normally, no. Harry seems to attract just about every manner of trouble to himself naturally."

They all had a good laugh at that, even Harry.

* * *

After dinner the adults retired to the living room to chat while the others went off to do their own things. George had come in halfway through dinner and had challenged Ron to a one on one match on the new Eclipse broomsticks. Isla was thoroughly fascinated as the two flew around in the starlight while Harry explained to her the rules of Quidditch.

Ginny and Hermione were sitting on the bench swing in the garden, watching the others and chatting about things. Hermione was recounting the taxi ride she and Ron had taken while in Australia and it was leaving Ginny in stitches.

"Oi, he's just like my dad sometimes, I swear…" Ginny managed to say after calming down.

Hermione just grinned as she watched him fly through the night sky. Noticing the way her closest girl friend was looking at her brother, Ginny couldn't help but grin either.

"Earth to Hermione…"

"Huh.. oh, sorry. I was erm…" Hermione stammered.

"You were thinking about Ron," Ginny answered for her.

Hermione blushed, then nodded a little.

"Alright then, 'fess up. What happened during the trip between you two? And don't tell me nothing happened, I can tell something's up." Ginny said authoritatively.

The blush deepened. "We spent a lot of time together, yes. There were a few trips to the beach and I _may_ have teased him a bit with a new bikini…"

The younger girl grinned. "_And?_"

It seemed as if Hermione was shrinking in place. She looked over to Ginny with a timid look on her face. "I, erm, got naked in front of him."

Ginny slapped her knee and giggled insanely. "I.. I knew it!" she said as she was recovering. "I knew you wouldn't be able to stop yourself. You've had the hots for him for weeks now."

Hermione nodded a bit. "That's not all though."

"You two didn't…" Ginny looked at her intently.

"No, not all the way…"

A smirk came across Ginny's face. "Remind me not to be alone in the same room with him for a few days…"

Hermione looked mortified. "You wouldn't…"

Her friend could only grin. "No, I wouldn't. It's strange hearing this about my own brother, but I'm glad for you."

It was Hermione's turn to smirk. "You asked…"

Ginny was about to respond when she heard Harry's voice in her head.

_What are you two talking about over there?_ he asked. _I keep getting these giddy vibes from you._

_Private girl talk love, sorry._

She could hear him snicker in her head before she grinned.

Hermione sat up straighter and looked over at Harry who was in the midst of using hand motions to explain something to Isla. "Have you and Harry done anything?"

Ginny shook her head, seemingly a bit sad. "Not yet, haven't really had a chance, have we?"

"Yeah, true. But if you _could?_" Hermione persisted.

It was the red-head's turn to blush now. "I would want to give something a try, yes."

The older girl could only grin. "I think it's a very good thing that we're getting our own private rooms this year."

Ginny could only smile and nod.

* * *

The dinner party broke up a little bit later and as everyone was saying their goodbyes, Ron came up next to Hermione and kissed the back of her head.

"Come back after you bring your family home, I have a surprise for you," he whispered into her ear.

Hermione turned and smiled. "What kind of surprise?" she asked quietly.

"A surprising one, love. Not going to spoil it."

"Then I guess I just have to hurry back and see," she said before giving him a quick peck on the lips.

After she had apparated away with her parents and Isla, Ron quickly took care of the last bits of his plan. Tucked into a large picnic basket he had two blankets, a large bowl and some food items. He gulped as he checked those over, hoping that he had gotten the right things.

Within minutes Hermione had returned and he met her at the back door, carrying the basket. When Hermione saw it, she grinned.

"A little nighttime picnic?" she asked hopefully.

Ron nodded. "That's the idea, love." He reached into the basket and pulled out one of her sweaters to give her. "Might want to take this with, it could get a little cold."

Hermione felt a little flutter in her stomach as she took the sweater and pulled it on quickly. _He's so thoughtful..._

When she was ready, Ron took her hand in his and they walked out of the garden, following the worn path into the woods. He knew exactly where he wanted to go, and it was only a few minutes of walking. They walked in silence until they reached the spot, a little clearing with a tiny pond. Ron stopped near the water's edge and set down the basket. The moon was still rising in the night sky, but they could see little slivers of it peeking through the trees.

He smiled at Hermione as he opened the basket and started pulling out the blankets. Without a word between them, they laid one of them out flat on the grass and put the other to the side. She tried peeking into the basket to see what Ron had brought, but he kicked it aside with his foot.

"Now now 'Mione, no peeking," he said as a grin crossed his face. He took her hand and pulled her down with him to sit on the blanket. Before doing anything else, he took hsi[his] wand out of his pocket and cast a few spells around. Hermione recognized them as wards and anti-muggle charms. The last charm he cast conjured lanterns at each corner of the blanket so that the area was lit up, but not too much.

With that work done, he set his wand down and looked at his girlfriend before leaning in to kiss her. It was a light kiss, the usual for two of them.

"It's beautiful out here, Ron," she said as they pulled apart. She sidled up next to him and leaned against him a bit as she looked out over the water.

Ron nodded and put a hand on her leg. "Yeah, this is one of my favorite spots. I used to sneak out here at night sometimes when I wanted to think or get away from everyone."

He pulled the basket closer to them and started to reach in.

"What did you bring?" she asked with a smile on her face.

"Well, your mum actually gave me the idea for this. She was talking about one of the camping trips you and your parents had taken before you came to Hogwarts, and she mentioned this camp treat that you loved."

Hermione's eyes instantly lit up. "You didn't..."

Ron just grinned and pulled out a box of graham crackers, a tin of Honeydukes chocolate and a bag of puffy marshmallows. He also pulled out a rather large stone bowl and set it in front of them. "I hope I got the right things. I figured out what we had to get to make a s'more, but none of the wizarding stores had these crackers, and neither did the store in town so I found a place in Muggle London earlier today."

Her eyes were wide as she smiled. "You went to a Muggle store and bought something, for me?"

"I did, and I didn't even have to Obliviate anyone," he chortled.

She hugged him fiercely. "Ron, you are just amazing sometimes you know?

Ron smiled and ran his hand up and down her back. "This is where you take over, love," he said, motioning to the bowl. "I think one of your favorite spells should do it, and then you need to show me how to make these s'mores..."

Hermione grinned and pointed her wand at the bowl, conjuring the same blue flames she had used on Snape's robes and the Devil's Snare their first year. She showed him how to skewer the marshmallows, and when to take them off the fire to place them on the chocolate and graham crackers. Once they each had their own made, they tapped the concoctions together like they were glasses and bit in.

Ron sighed as he tasted everything. He thought he knew every type of sweet and chocolate, but this was something entirely new. He must have had an interesting face on because he could hear Hermione's giggle. He opened his eyes and grinned at her.

"What?"

"You are adorable, Ronald Weasley. Have I told you that yet today?" she asked, returning the grin.

"Hrmm, don't believe so. You're slipping, love."

"Prat!" she exclaimed as she nudged him and bit into her own s'more.

They nibbled on their treats for a bit. "Is it how you remembered having them?" he asked her.

Hermione nodded. "Even better, because you put it all together," she said as she looked up at him. She noticed a bit of melted chocolate on the edge of his mouth and grinned. Leaning up, she licked the spot clean and continued on for a sweet peck on the lips. They both smiled and this time Ron initiated the kiss, which turned out long and fiery like the flame in front of them. Hermione's tongue pressed against his lips and he invited her in willingly.

It was a while before they broke apart from that kiss, and the moon was high in the sky when they finally decided to go inside.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! Yes, this piece was more fluff than anything, but I had a few scenes I wanted to play out that didn't fit any particular plot. The next few episodes will be Harry and Ginny's birthday's, so we'll be back at Hogwarts soon! (But not too soon.)_

_If you like what you read, Fav and review for me please! As always, many thanks to my Beta reader for their proofing and suggestions!_

_-Midnight_


	14. Harry's Birthday, Part One

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing the storyline after the 7th book. _

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 14 - Harry's Birthday, Part One**

Harry was surprised that he was looking forward to the day _before_ his birthday than the actual day itself. In the middle of the month he had received a note from Healer Smethwyck, asking him to come in for an appointment, to see how he was doing and whether he could resume doing any of the things he was currently forbidden from.

The note lifted his spirits even more than they were already. The first few days back he had been feeling sluggish all the time, but his daily regimen of morning walks around the garden with Ginny and long afternoons of relaxation had him feeling almost normal again.

Harry's appointment wasn't until two o'clock, so the two were playing a game of wizard's chess in the living room. Mrs. Weasley was taking every opportunity to walk through the room to do chores, tend to something out back in the garden, even rearranging some pictures on the wall.

_She's doing it hoping that one of us agrees to let her come with us,_ Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "Knight to G6."

Harry grinned. Breakfast that morning had been interesting; Mrs. Weasley had been assuming she would be going to St. Mungo's with the two of them and was taken aback when Ginny got into a bit of a heated discussion with her about it. The two had gotten into a little bit of a row, but Mrs. Weasley finally had to agree that Harry was overage and that it was just a simple check up.

_Remind me to never get into a fight with you Gin', I'd never win._ "Ah, Bishop to G6. I think that's checkmate."

Ginny looked up and glared at him, more for his statement than the loss of the game. She couldn't hold the glare for long though, and broke out into a smile.

"Good game love," she said. _Too right you'd never win. _She blew a mental raspberry at Harry which made him chortle out loud.

Mrs. Weasley looked over at them with a strange look on her face, then shrugged and headed back into the kitchen.

_Whoops, guess I need to be careful around other people when we use soul-speak. We could blow the secret._

Ginny giggled in his mind. _Soul-speak? That's pretty clever of you Harry, I like it._

He just grinned again and stood, holding his hand out. "Let's get going, just in case Smethwyck is ready for me earlier."

"He's a Healer Harry, they're never on time to appointments, but we might as well. I'm as anxious as you are," she said as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

They both stood in the doorway of the kitchen to say a quick goodbye to Mrs. Weasley. She smiled at them warmly, and Harry could tell that she meant it and wasn't harboring any ill feelings. "Do be careful, alright?" she asked.

Harry nodded. "We will. It'll just a be a short hop through the Floo Network, and we'll send a message if we think you need to be there for anything Mum."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Please do you two, even if it's a little thing. I don't expect anything to go wrong, but still."

The two agreed with her and stepped back into the living room where they each took a handful of Floo Powder and stepped into the bright emerald flames one after the other.

* * *

A short time later they were both sitting in Healer Smethwyck's small office, waiting for him to come in. It was already fifteen minutes past the hour and Harry sighed out loud. Ginny looked at him and grinned.

_Alright, you did say it earlier. Just don't say you told me so._

_Harry, would I do something like that?_

_You're more devious than you let on Gin',_ Harry said with a big grin on his face.

Ginny giggled and playfully nudged him on the arm. _Yes, I can be pretty sly when I need to be._

_Like tomorrow, for example? I still haven't managed to figure out anything of what's being planned. I really hope you and your Mum aren't planning anything extravagant…_

_You'll just have to wait and see love,_ she thought with a cheeky smile.

The door behind them opened then, and Healer Smethwyck came in.

"Ah! Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley. Thank you for coming."

Harry nodded. "Happy to really, I'm hoping for some good news."

"Too right you are, I presume the last few weeks have been a tad boring for you, especially since it is the summer holidays."

Harry just smiled and nodded again.

_Harry, I just thought of something,_ Ginny said quietly in his head. _He's probably going to do that Diagnosis spell again, might not want to use our soul-speak while that's going on. _

_Good idea Gin'._

"Well then, let's get on with it. We won't need an examination room for anything, I just wanted to have a quick look at your aura and energy today Harry. Just sit back in your chair there and try to relax. Having a clear mind is somewhat important here, we don't want any tension or apprehension clouding your reading."

"I'll try my best," Harry said before sinking a bit in his chair and closing his eyes. Remembering his Occlumency skills, he cleared his mind of all thoughts and imagined a blank white space. The Healer was only a few feet away, but his voice sounded far away as the Diagnosis Charm was cast. Harry continued to think about nothingness for as long as he could, but found his thoughts wandering after a little bit. He was starting to think about his and Ginny's many late night cuddles until he felt a hand on his shoulder and opened his eyes to see Ginny smiling back at him.

"Very good Mr. Potter, you managed to clear your head sufficiently for a good reading. I haven't had a patient who could 'tune out' like that in a long time. Ms. Weasley had to snap you out of it."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "So, what did you see?"

The dark haired wizard had a positive look on his face. "Well, from what I can see with and without the Diagnosis, you sure seem to be recovering very well Harry. I don't know what your energy levels were prior to you being brought here, but they are much higher than 5 weeks ago. As for your physical condition, you definitely seem to be bouncing back very well."

Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and smiled wide hearing this.

"Now, there's still the possibility of a relapse, though it's very slim. Just in case though, I would suggest that you still be cautious in what you do Harry. There doesn't seem to be a need for you to relax all day long anymore, but I would still refrain from any heavy exertion on your body, and that includes flying. As for spellwork, go on as you normally do, though I would be careful when using any heavy concentration spells, like Apparition. If you feel suddenly tired or dizzy at any point you should immediately sit or lay down, and clear your mind like you just did."

Harry nodded. "I understand Healer, thank you."

"And as for you Ms. Weasley, have you noticed anything different in or about yourself in the past few weeks?"

Ginny looked at Harry for a brief moment before shaking her head. "Not since those first few days. I was feeling so run down and worried but that all seemed to fix itself once Harry was awake and getting better."

Smethwyck nodded. "Very good. I would take some care because of your erm, bonded situation. It could be very possible that if one of you passess out or is injured gravely, the other should feel some effect. If anything like this does happen, please let me know immediately. For now though, if you would continue to keep an eye on our patient I would be most grateful."

She smiled and put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry hasn't been out of my sight for more than a few minutes for a while now, and I don't plan on changing that anytime soon."

Harry blushed as Smethwyck chuckled. "Very good then, I think that's all I have. Do either of you have any questions for me?"

They both shook their heads and Harry spoke for both of them. "No, I think we're very good. Thank you very much."

Smethwyck rose and offered his hand to Harry and then Ginny. "It's my pleasure, Mr. Potter. Keep well!"

They both walked out of the office and as soon as the door closed Harry wrapped his arm around Ginny as they walked down the hallway.

_Well, that's some good news,_ he said with the same smile on his face.

_And I'm glad for it love. I've done a little too much worrying about you in recent memory for my comfort._

_Sorry Gin'. I'll try to stay out of trouble from now on._ He squeezed her shoulder.

_Good. Though, trouble seems to find you. _

Harry stopped in front of the lifts and pulled her close, kissing her forehead. "And if it does, we'll figure it out together. I promise."

She nodded and hugged him tight. "Good."

He added a squeeze to their hug, and smiled at her when they unwrapped themselves. "How about we go find something sweet in Diagon Alley. My treat."

Ginny grinned. "Oh how well you know me, Mr. Potter."

* * *

A quick Floo trip later, the two were in the little yard behind the Leaky Cauldron and opening the passageway into Diagon Alley. They walked hand in hand down the street, stopping to look in a few stores. The Alley was almost back to its former glory, and was pretty uncrowded this time of the day. Harry frowned at the still-closed Ice Cream Parlor.

Ginny noticed his face. "You ok Harry?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just a bit sad. Mr. Fortescue was a good friend. That summer I was here for a few weeks I would do my schoolwork out here at a table and he would bring me free sundaes. He even helped me with History homework a few times. I wonder if his family will re-open the place. The Alley just doesn't seem right without it."

She pressed up against him and laid her head against his shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be back eventually."

Harry just nodded again and kissed the top of her head. They continued down the street to the Honeydukes store, where they bought a large bag of sweets to take home.

Harry was trying a few samples of new flavors of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and made a face at one that he figured was caramelized onion, otherwise he would have noticed Ginny's thoughtful stare at the store across the street.

Popping a sour candy in his mouth, Harry walked back over to her with scowl. "Why they can't add any new _normal _flavors to the box, I don't get."

Ginny giggled and fished in the bag for a hard candy of her own. "Aww, where's the fun in that love? It can't all be fruits and nice flowery smells."

Harry just grinned. "Fair enough. Besides, I'm always around you so it always smells like a field of flowers."

Ginny blushed. "You're making that up."

"I'm not! Whenever you're near me I swear I smell flowers on you."

"Must be my shampoo, I never really notice. I'm glad you like it though," she said with a grin. "Come on, let's go see what George and Ron are up to. We can Floo back home from the store."

They walked back down the street a bit and made their way into Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes. It seemed like business was going well, and they could both see some new products on display at the front of the store. Behind the counter they saw a familiar face.

"Ginny! Harry!"

"Hi Angelina!" Ginny exclaimed as they made their way over. The two exchanged hugs over the desk. "You're working here now?"

Angelina nodded. "Yep, a few weeks now. George needed some extra help with all the new items he's made, and it's going to get busy in here before the school year starts."

"Do I hear the wizarding world's most famous couple out there?"

Ginny sighed. "Knock it off George!"

George had stuck his face out of the back room and grinned at them. "Sorry Ginny, but it's my duty as an older brother to give you some grief every once in a while."

He got a glare in response and both Harry and Angelina laughed.

"What are you two doing here?" George asked.

"Just doing some shopping, and we decided to use your fireplace to get back home." Ginny said, still with a bit of an edge to her voice.

"By all means," George said, waving them back past the curtains. "I won't even charge you."

"George!"

This time it was Angelina who was scolding him. George just grinned and followed them back.

"So, Angelina?" Harry asked with a grin. Ginny had the same look on her face.

"Not what you think my dark-haired adoptive brother. Not what you think."

Ginny snickered. "Mmhmm, sure. I can smell your blushing from all the way over here George."

"Are you sure that's not the stash of Canary Creams behind you?"

Harry grinned and looked around. "Where's Ron? I thought he was here today."

Ginny smirked. "Is he playing hooky already?"

George shook his head and was about to say something when he thought the better of it. "No, he's doing something special for me. I guess I can tell you two, since you're still an investor here Harry."

"Wait," Ginny interjected. "What?"

George looked at Harry. "I thought you would have told her mate. Blimey. Ginny, Harry gave Fred and I his Triwizard Tournament winnings to get the business up and running."

Ginny turned and looked at Harry. "You did? I never knew, no one did! The rest of us have been scratching our heads for years trying to figure out how you two managed to get the money."

Harry just grinned sheepishly. "Guess it slipped my mind."

"Anyway," George continued. "I've been in talks with Zonko's for weeks now, and I managed to get them to sell me the store in Hogsmeade. Ron's there now putting together a floor and display plan together so we can do a bit of renovating in there and be ready to open by the first Hogsmeade weekend this year. He's got a good head for business, our brother."

"Brilliant!" Ginny and Harry said it at the same time, both impressed.

"I know I am," George said with a grin. "Anyways, I have to get up there to make sure he's not asleep or having a few butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks. I'll see you two tomorrow!"

He went out and talked with Angelina quickly, while Harry and Ginny borrowed some of his Floo powder and traveled home.

* * *

Later that night, the two were wrapped up under a blanket in Ginny's bed and cuddling close together. Both sets of eyes were on his watch on the beside table, and as soon as the minute hand ticked over to midnight Ginny rolled over and wrapped her arms around him.

"Harry Birthday love," she said with a big smile as she leaned in for a kiss that would last for quite a while.

* * *

Harry slept well that night, and awoke to a ray of sunlight hitting him right in the eyes. He felt extremely rejuvenated and opened his eyes with a loud yawn. Noticing that Ginny wasn't in bed with him, he frowned until he saw a card on the bedside table next to his glasses.

_Good morning love. I'm downstairs helping Mum with your birthday breakfast. We wanted you to sleep in as long as you wanted, so come down when you're ready. _

He smiled as he read the note and sat up to stretch his arms and legs before getting dressed. Within minutes he had cleaned up in the bathroom and thrown on some clean clothes. As he walked into the kitchen, he was greeted with a loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" from a few people.

Ginny came over to kiss him on the cheek, leading him to a spot on the bench with everyone else. Ron and Hermione were sitting across from them with George. Since it was a Saturday, Mr. Weasley and Charlie were there as well.

Mrs. Weasley brought a large stack of pancakes to the table, placing it in front of Harry. "Happy Birthday dear! We're going to have a larger gathering this afternoon, but we wanted to start your day off right."

Ginny grinned. "There's a few presents for you to open already Harry," she said, pointing to them at the end of the table. George started to hand some of them over.

The first one was from George; he had given Harry a robe clasp. "I've been working on it for Kingsley's new Auror program. You just put it on any old robe and touch it while thinking about a color, and the robes will change instantly. Good for hiding in a crowd or if you just want to get away."

Hermione had gotten him a school planner similar to one's she'd given him before, and told him that she would gladly work out a schedule for him once they were back at Hogwarts so that he'd have time to study, practice Quidditch, and have time for him and Ginny as well.

Ron gave him a large box of Chocolate Frogs and an assortment of pranks and jokes from the store.

"I hope you paid for all that Ron," George said seriously. Everyone had a good laugh at that.

Charlie's present was a new pair of Quidditch gloves, but they were also charmed to keep his hands warm or cooled off, depending on the weather. "I suppose they'd also work if you were dealing with a dragon."

Ginny glared at Charlie. "There will be no more dances with dragons for Harry, thank you very much."

Another round of laughs flooded the room.

When they had all calmed down, there was one more large oddly shaped present on the table, covered in a blue cloth. Ginny smiled at Harry. "I have a few presents for you today Harry, but this one is from me, Mum and Dad."

She pulled the cloth off to the side, and underneath it was a cage containing a small, dark gray screech owl. The female owl lifted its head from under her wing, and looked around before setting its piercing, yellow eyes on Harry.

Ginny was looking nervously at Harry next to her. "I know she's not Hedwig Harry, but I thought you should have another owl. I didn't think you would want another snowy owl, so I looked around the store and this little girl kept hooting at me over and over."

Almost as if on cue the owl, who was maybe 3 times as large as Pigwidgeon but still small, let loose a dignified hoot.

"The store owner said she's still young, so you'll have her a long time." Ginny paused, biting her lower lip. "I hope I didn't presume too much..."

She was stopped as Harry pulled her into a hug and kiss there at the table. He could feel her shoulders relax as she melted into the kiss. The two partly forgot about the others at the table, until they heard Ron clearing his throat. They both smirked and looked around sheepishly. Ron was a little red in the face.

"She's perfect Ginny. Thank you, and thank you Mum, Dad."

Harry grinned his thanks to everyone, and started in on his breakfast. He sliced up a piece of breakfast sausage and offered it to his new owl through the cage. She hooted her thanks and gobbled the meat up. Ginny grinned at this.

"Looks like she knows who her owner is already."

Harry nodded. "So, did you name her yet Gin'?" He knew she had thought about it, and she had named Pig a few years earlier.

"Well, I did have an idea. Enid means 'soul' in Welsh."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "Such a beautiful name, and appropriate too."

Harry nodded. "I love it. Enid it is."

Enid hooted again, and everyone laughed.

"I guess she approves, Harry said."

* * *

The time until Harry's birthday lunch celebration passed quickly, but as quickly as Ginny seemed to want it to go. Harry was wondering why it was a lunch party instead of dinner like every other Burrow birthday he'd been at, and when he asked her she only smiled back at him. "Because we have other plans for dinner Harry."

Harry grinned as he thought about what she might be planning. "Fine, I suppose I can wait until then. Right now though you look like you're going to go mad just waiting for lunch, so go join Ron and Charlie up there. You can both give Ron some practice."

Ginny looked apprehensive for a moment, as if she didn't want to leave him on his special day. He just smiled and nudged her softly. "Go. I can talk with Hermione about study plans or something," he said with a smirk, looking over to Hermione who was near them. Both girls glared at him a bit and he found himself chortling loudly.

Hermione came over to him as Ginny was gaining altitude, conjuring a lawn chair next to his.

"How's Isla?" he asked with a smile.

"Good, Harry. I talked with Professor McGonagall and got her all set for school this year. She's so excited about it - she's already read about three of the textbooks I gave her from our first year."

Harry grinned. "Sounds like she's going to be just like you Hermione."

She smirked at him. "Perhaps not. She's _really _shy around other people, I'm actually kind of worried about it. I keep thinking that she's not going to have any friends, or she'll stay holed up in the library or her dorm room all the time."

He frowned. "Was she like that at school in Sydney?"

Hermione nodded. "Mum and Dad were telling me about it a few weeks ago. She had one or two friends in her class, but she never wanted to have them over to the house. Her teachers were all trying to get her to be more interactive with classes too, but she always just stayed to herself."

"Hrm. We'll have to keep an eye on her at school then and nudge her along if we have to. Between the two of us and Ginny and Ron, we'll have a lot of eyes on her."

She nodded and smiled a bit at him and scowled at herself. "Thanks Harry. I shouldn't have bothered you with this on your birthday…"

Harry shook his head and looked over at her. "Stuff it Hermione. You know I'm here to help with anything, whenever. Besides, if things keep going the way we are we'll be family officially before long."

Hermione blushed a bit. "You could be right Harry…"

* * *

The lunch celebration that Mrs. Weasley had put together turned out to be more than Harry thought. More people had shown up to wish Harry a happy birthday, and it turned out Mr. Weasley and Charlie had to set up a third table out in the garden to accommodate everyone.

Percy made it back home a little after noon looking relieved to be out of his office. Bill and Fleur arrived just after noon, along with Andromeda Tonks and little Teddy. Harry saw Ginny make a beeline toward his godson almost immediately, and he smiled as he saw her cradle Teddy and walk around with him. Visions of a future with his love ran through his head for a few moments before he felt an enormous hand on his shoulder.

"Hagrid!" he exclaimed, turning to greet his oldest wizarding friend.

"'Arry! Good ter see yah. How have yeh been feelin'?"

"Better and better Hagrid, can't wait to get back to school and see it all fixed up."

"Aye, it's jus' about done too. They're finishing up getting some of the charms and spells put back on the ol' castle."

Just then, Mrs. Weasley called everyone to sit down as she and Fleur levitated platters of food onto the tables. Everyone tucked in, and the familiar sounds of an extended Weasley family meal could be heard for a long time.

Mrs. Weasley had outdone herself on the cake, having made a rather large golden-frosting Snitch with twitching wings on the side. Everyone applauded her, and more than one person mentioned her talent and a possible catering business now that all of her children were grown. She blushed and waved everyone off, telling them to be realistic.

Harry had a thought in his head at this and had to be nudged by Ginny when it was time to open his presents from everyone else. Percy gave him a book on advanced spells and counter-curses that was used during Auror training. Hagrid had whittled yet another wooden flute type instrument, though he said this one had been charmed to lull nearby people to sleep.

"I wonder what inspired that," Harry said with a grin, giving everyone who knew the story of his first year a laugh.

Andromeda Tonks' gift was a large box full of Sneakoscopes, Foe Glasses and other useful items. "They were Dora and Remus'," she said with a smile. "I'm sure they both would want you to have them Harry, and to use them when you become an Auror. Don't just leave them to collect dust, alright?"

Harry nodded and smiled a little. "I won't, Mrs. Tonks."

"Please Harry, call me Andie."

Bill and Fleur's present was the last, and Harry opened it to find a large bag of Honeydukes sweets and four pieces of parchment that read: _Good for one (1) excused missed Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment. Signed, Professor Bill Weasley, Head of Gryffindor House and Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor._

Harry looked up and grinned, showing the notes to Ginny, Hermione and Ron. Soon the whole table was cheering and clapping Bill on the back.

"This is brilliant!" Ron and Harry said at the same time.

Bill was smiling up to his ears. "McGonagall asked me to take the positions a little after we left there in May, and I decided to take it of course. It was getting a bit boring at Gringott's, really. Doesn't mean that you lot can get away with not doing anything in class, mind you," he said as he tried to put on a serious face which didn't turn out that well, because everyone was laughing hard.

"Thank you all," Harry said when they had all calmed down. "This has probably been the best birthday I've had."

_And it's not over yet, love._ Ginny said in his mind with a smile towards him.

* * *

_Phew! Ideas for Harry's 18th birthday kept coming to mind as I was writing, so it'll have to have a part two. Don't worry - you wont have to wait long to see it._

_I hope everyone enjoyed it! As always, big thanks to my Beta readers for their help!_


	15. Harry's Birthday, Part Two

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_(The last section of this chapter has been moved to Snippets, my companion story to Post Script that includes all the Rated M scenes and more.)_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 15 - Harry's Birthday, Part Two**

The sun was getting low in the sky as the last of Harry's birthday lunch guests were leaving. Ginny came up to him as he was watching Hagrid fly off on his oversized motorcycle and wrapped her arms around him from the back. Harry smiled, noticing her usual smell of flowers as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"So Harry, having a good birthday so far?" she asked.

He nodded, enjoying the feeling of their closeness. "Like I said love, one of the best I've ever had. Though, I'm pretty sure there's going to be more wonderful memories of tonight, if I know you."

Harry could feel some of the excitement in her mind.

"But of course Harry. The night's just beginning," she said with a grin on her face.

"Alright then, _now _can you tell me what you have planned?"

Ginny unwrapped herself from him and took his hand, nearly pulling him towards the house. "First, we have to go change."

As they made their way up the stairs they bumped into Ron and Hermione, who looked like they were heading out as well. Hermione's excitement was plainly evident as she told them that Ron was taking her out to a muggle movie and some dinner. "It's going to be so much fun," she said as she looked back at her boyfriend. "He's even agreed not to ask too many questions about it," she managed to say through a giggle. Ron flushed a bit with that and Harry grinned as the two linked arms and made their way outside.

Once in Ginny's room, she looked at him with a smile. "We're going out on the town too love. I found a few fun places to go in Muggle London that are walking distance from Grimmauld Place. No one is going to know who we are or start to ask questions out there."

Harry grinned. "Good thinking Gin', just some time for both of us."

They both changed into some appropriate clothing, Harry wearing some dark jeans and one of his better sweaters. Ginny surprised him by pulling off the shirt she had been wearing that afternoon in front of him; she had never done that before. His eyes seemed to work on their own as they fell to her bra-covered chest. He figured he must have been staring pretty obviously, because after a moment she could be heard giggling.

"Do you like what you see Mr. Potter?"

Harry stammered a bit, then nodded. "Yes, yes I do." He was aware his voice sounded nervous but there was nothing he could do about that.

Ginny could only grin upon seeing the effect she had on him. "Good. Perhaps later you might see a little more," she hinted suggestively.

As she rummaged in her drawers Harry could only imagine what she meant; and he told himself inwardly to calm down and compose himself.

Within a few minutes Ginny was ready as well, wearing a dark blue ruffled shirt and a dark skirt that went down to her knees. She looked around for her handbag and when she found it on her dresser, she looked up at him with that brilliant smile of hers.

"Ready to go Harry?"

"You bet," he said, hoping that most of the eagerness he was feeling wasn't spilling over into his speech. The pair made their way downstairs to the fireplace, stopping to say goodbye to Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen. She regarded the two of them for a moment. "Have fun in London you two," she said with a motherly smile. "If it gets too late or you get too tired, don't worry about making it back here, just stay at Grimmauld Place. Kreacher will let me know if you do."

Ginny had a little look of surprise on her face at that, but recovered quickly. "Sounds good Mum, we might be out late anyhow."

She practically pulled Harry in front of the fireplace in the living room, and as they each took some Floo powder, Harry motioned to her. "Ladies first." He watched as she stepped into the bright emerald flames, waiting a few moments before throwing his powder in and shouting "Grimmauld Place."

* * *

The two were out the front door and walking down the sidewalk before Ginny looked over to him with a smile that seemed to set her face aglow.

"I didn't think Mum would react like that," she said with a wondrous tone in her voice as she linked her arm through his. "I was going to make up an excuse for us to stay here overnight, but she practically gave us one."

Harry thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Who knows what she's thinking. I'd have expected her to give us a curfew..."

Ginny giggled. "The great Harry Potter, having a curfew? That's something to think about. Might make for a good rumor around school..." she said teasingly.

He groaned and nudged her playfully. "I was hoping for a quiet and peaceful year this time around Ginny, no rumors and no adventures."

She pressed in close to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Adventures, I think we can shy away from. The rumors though, I have a feeling we won't be able to do much about. You know how fast things spread there."

Harry smiled. "As long they talk about fact and not rumors, I guess I can live with it."

The two walked on for a while longer, talking about a few little things until Ginny stopped in front of a little building with glowing neon signs in its windows. Once again Harry found himself being nearly dragged, and inside he looked around to find that he was in an arcade of sorts. The small establishment had quite a few games and machines crammed into it including games of chance, mini basketball and a wooden ski ball track.

Harry remembered having been At a place like this once, for one of Dudley's birthday parties that the Dursley's hadn't been able to find a sitter for. A smile crossed his face as he looked at Ginny.

She had a similar smile on, her's being a mix of happiness at her Harry's reaction and being around so many fascinating Muggle contraptions.

It was loud in the small space, so Harry spoke up directly in her mind.

_This was a great idea love._

_I was hoping you'd like it. It seems like someplace you can lose yourself in and just have fun._ She reached into her handbag and turned to a machine that dispensed coins for paper notes.

Harry could see that she had a bit of Muggle money with her, and smiled at that.

_Bill got some of my money exchanged at the bank for me,_ she said, and continued before Harry could get a word in. _I don't want to hear anything about paying for stuff tonight Harry. It's your birthday, and I'm going to treat you._ The look on her face told him that she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

The smile on his face turned into a grin. He loved that about Ginny, how fiery she could get about something usually accompanied by a wild look in her eyes.

They both had a grand time at the arcade, stopping at nearly every machine to see what it did. It turned out once Ginny had gotten the hang of the different controls she was pretty good at a few of the games. Harry was glad to see her enjoying herself as much as he was, maybe even a bit more since everything was brand-new to her.

After a particularly heated game of air hockey, which Ginny won by one point, the two decided to call it quits and walked outside into the cool night air.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I would have thought you were lying when you said you'd never played air hockey before..." Harry said as he pulled her close against him.

She giggled a bit and nudged him. "Once you get the hang of it it's easy enough, it's a bit like Quidditch really. Just have to wait for the right moment to score."

Harry hadn't thought about that. Ginny was an amazing Chaser, so the whole game must have been second nature to her. As he mulled that over in his mind, she pulled apart from him and took his hand. "Come on love, time for dinner."

They walked back towards Grimmauld Place but by another street, and soon the two of them were sitting in a booth at a small pizza place. The waitress left them a menu and some glasses of water, and as soon as she was out of earshot Ginny looked over to him with a sheepish grin.

"To tell you the truth Harry, I picked this restaurant a little selfishly. I've never had pizza before and I kept hearing Hermione go on and on about it, so I figured why not."

Harry grinned as well. "Never had pizza? Well, then you're in for a treat. You picked really well Gin', because I haven't had any in a long time either."

The two of them looked over the menu and agreed on a small pizza with pepperoni and green peppers on it. Ginny hadn't ever had pepperoni either, and he assured her that she would love it. It seemed the restaurant was having a slow night, so their pizza arrived much more speedily than Harry thought it would.

Even though he was hungry, Harry held off on biting into the slice he was holding to watch Ginny's reaction to the pizza. Her bright brown eyes were wide as she tasted all the combinations of flavors and he had to grin at that.

"My gods," she said slowly since she was still chewing. "Where has this been all my life?"

Harry chortled and bit into his own slice, chewing a few times before responding. "I told you you'd love it. Guess I'm going to have to find myself a new love now, since you're smitten."

Ginny's eyes went wide again and she squealed through a full mouth, kicking his leg playfully and glaring at him.

_You just wait, Mr. Potter,_ she said in his head. _I'll get you back for that._

Harry just continued to grin. _And how are you planning to do that, love?_

She set her nearly finished slice of pizza down on the tray and looked around quickly before looking straight back at him. Her mouth turned into a mischievous smirk as she undid the top button of her dressy shirt. The shirt had already afforded him a good view of her pale, freckled skin for most of the evening and now he could see a hint of cleavage.

Harry was sure he had been staring at her for a bit, and he knew that his mouth was slightly open. Ginny just smiled sweetly at him and started in on her food again.

_Note to self,_ he thought out loud so she could hear him. _Tease Ginny more often_.

_Prat!_ she said back through some mental giggles.

He grinned and resumed biting into his own slice. _I love you?_

_Better. I love you too, Harry._

* * *

A half hour or so later, the pair were nearing the front door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. They had decided to take a leisurely stroll back after dinner, though towards the end it had become anything but. Even wearing the light sweater she had pulled out from her handbag, Ginny was feeling cold. Harry had wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight as they walked, and she was alternately sticking her hands into his pants pocket to keep them warm.

By the time Harry opened the door into the house, the two had become hot and bothered from all the prolonged contact. Kreacher appeared to close the door.

"Welcome back Master Harry, Mistress Ginny."

Harry just nodded to Kreacher, as he was being pulled up the stairs by an almost frantic Ginny. "Err, thanks Kreacher. We'll be upstairs for the night, would you let Mrs. Weasley know please?"

"Certainly young Master. Kreacher will only inform Mistress' mother that you are already asleep," the house-elf said with a smirking grin, and vanished.

Ginny giggled from the landing and waited for Harry to join her. They made their way into the room Harry had used on his previous stays and he found himself being pulled onto the bed.

He pretended to breathe heavily, even though he was grinning. "Careful Gin', I'm not a well man…"

Ginny just smirked at that, and Harry could see a spark in her eyes before she started kissing his neck.

* * *

_If you like what you're reading, please let me know by favoriting, following and/or reviewing! I like to hear what you guys have to say, even if it's criticism. As always, big thanks to my Beta reader for their proofing and suggestions!_

_-Midnight_


	16. Symbols and Signs

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Warning: Minor Character Death._

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 16 - Symbols and Signs **

It was a sunny day in Diagon Alley and many people were out doing their shopping. The portal between the Alley and the Leaky Cauldron had opened and closed many times already, yet it opened again as it always did to let Harry out onto the street.

Harry was alone today and as much as he enjoyed the company of everyone at the Burrow, it felt good to be alone for a little while, even if he was just running a few errands. This impromptu trip had started about an hour earlier at breakfast when Mrs. Weasley had mentioned that they were running low on a few ingredients for some potions she wanted to brew.

Seeing it as an opportunity to get away for a bit to pick out his gift for Ginny's birthday, he had volunteered to get the items, knowing that Ginny would be helping her mother nearly all day. _Potions, _he thought to himself with a smile, _the only chore Ginny actually enjoys helping her mother with._

Knowing that he had quite a few stops to make, Harry first stopped at the apothecary and quickly collected everything on the list he had been given. As he was paying for everything at the counter, he noticed a new measuring scale set being promoted on the shelf behind the witch at the register. He could see it was hand-made and that every detail on it had been paid attention to.

Knowing he was going to hear about this from Mrs. Weasley, he added it to his purchase and slid a few extra Sickles across the counter as he asked the witch to wrap it for him and deliver everything to George's store down the street. He was assured it would all be taken care of within the hour, and then he was off to his next stop; Gringotts.

About ten minutes later Harry was standing in the cart room in the bank's interior, waiting with Brodock the goblin for a cart to become available. The goblin still didn't seem to like Harry, even though it turned out he had been assigned as Harry's personal banker. The scowl on the goblin's face told Harry all he needed to know; he was still regarded as dangerous after his successful robbery months earlier. Harry kept his interest on the large number 7 denoting the date that was changing colors on the clock in the room.

The trip down to his family's vault was quiet except for the screeching of the cart against the track, and before Harry knew it they were there. He was surprised to see he recognized the area; his new vault was just a few away from the Lestrange vault he had helped infiltrate.

Brodock opened the vault for him, and stepped aside to wait for Harry to finish his business. Harry, on the other hand, was stunned by everything he saw. There were mountains of golden Galleons stacked along one wall, and the rest of the vault was filled with various chests and furniture.

He walked in slowly, his eyes taking everything in. His mind went slightly overboard looking at things and wondering if they had been his parent's, or from his father's family. After a few minutes of this he shook his head and snapped out of his reverie, reminding himself what he had come here for, his father's pocket watch.

Harry was able to find it right where the vault's written inventory said it would be, in a jewelry box near the entrance. He picked it up gently and looked it over. It wasn't ticking anymore, but he figured that would be easy enough to fix. It was very ornate and seemed to be made out of pure gold, but surprisingly it wasn't very heavy.

As he tucked it into his pocket, he noticed a side compartment in the box that was lined in red velvet. His throat caught a little as he slid the cover away and discovered two wedding rings and an engagement ring laying together. With a trembling hand, he carefully picked the rings up and looked at them in the light. They were all very simple, but in that simplicity was their beauty. The engagement ring his father had used had a nice sized diamond set in, and the wedding rings had both been engraved on the insides.

_James & Lily Potter, forever together._

Feeling his eyes mist up a little, Harry blinked a few times as he returned the wedding rings to their spot. To his surprise, he held onto the engagement ring for a while longer until an idea crossed his mind. He slid the ring onto the chain of the pocket watch and then tapped it with his wand, muttering a few spells. The ring vanished for a moment and then reappeared, though it appeared only partly there, like one of the many ghosts at Hogwarts.

With a smile, he tucked the ring and pocket watch into his pocket. He knew he wasn't ready to propose to Ginny just yet, but with them returning to school in a few weeks he didn't want to leave the ring he wanted to propose with hundreds of miles away in case the perfect moment arose. He would carry it with him wherever he went with his father's heirloom, and no one would be able to see it there.

Harry was about to leave the vault and get ready for the ride up to the surface when he saw the half finished painting that he had seen in the vault catalog. It was right next to the entrance, as if it had been one of the last things his parent's had left here. The painting was stationary, showing a light blue wall with white trim and the top of a red velvet couch. Everything below that seemed to be unfinished.

The subject of the painting seemed strangely familiar to him, but he couldn't place it. Knowing that he'd have more time to look into the painting after the upcoming school year, he shrugged and walked out of the vault and to the waiting cart, taking a few stacks of Galleons with him.

Back on the surface, he turned to Brodock. "Ermm, this is kind of a silly question but would you happen to know who's in charge of the leasing and rentals of the stores in the Alley?"

The goblin regarded him for a moment. "Thinking of opening a store young sir? A wise investment if I do say so myself…"

Harry shook his head. "Not for me, just thinking about a gift for someone else."

"Very well. You'd want to speak to the leasing office, next to the Daily Prophet headquarters."

Nodding his thanks, Harry stashed his coin bag into an inner pocket of his robes and set off down the street. Not wanting to attract any attention, he pulled his wand out again and tapped himself a few times, changing a few of his facial features including his scar and nose. That done, he stepped into the office and had a quick meeting with one of the realtors.

His last stop was to a jewelry shop he had eyed the last time he and Ginny had been here just a week before, Yoring and Gorishen's. Stepping into the store, he felt immediately out of place. Everything looked so antique and expensive, so he was careful not to bump anything as he made his way to the counter where the store's proprietor smiled at him.

"Mr. Harry Potter, I presume. It's good to finally meet you."

"Likewise, Mr..?"

"Yoring, sir. I assume you aren't here just to browse my wares?"

Harry shook his head and gulped a bit. "Ermm, no. I ah, was looking for a gift for a very special friend of mine."

The old wizard's face broke into a grin. "I see. More than just a friend is my guess."

Harry could only nod.

"Any idea as to what you want to give the young lady?" Seeing the blank look on the younger wizard's face, he chuckled and motioned Harry towards a glass display case. "I see you haven't a clue. If this is the first special gift you are purchasing for your friend I would suggest something that makes a statement about who she is, or what she means to you."

Harry nodded and looked into the case, seeing quite a few different necklaces, earrings and bracelets. One particular bracelet with a charm hanging off of it caught his eye.

The old man must have had a sixth sense for what his customers were looking at, because he removed it from the case before Harry had a chance to ask.

"This is a simple golden charm bracelet, Mr. Potter. Very popular with young ladies at the moment. The bracelet starts off simple, but as more charms are added to it, it becomes a statement about the lady herself and what she holds dear. We have a wide variety of charms available for purchase as well, to start the bracelet off."

Harry smiled and looked up at Mr. Yoring. "That seems perfect."

The two spent the next twenty minutes or so picking out a few charms to add to his purchase, and as he walked out of the shop he breathed a large sigh of relief. The large burden of picking out the perfect gift for his Ginny was finally off his shoulders.

With his errands done, Harry quickly made his way to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes where he was greeted warmly by Angelina.

"Harry! Good to see you. No Ginny today?"

"Not today Angelina, I was just doing a few errands and picking up her birthday gift," he said with a mischievous grin.

The look on Angelina's face plainly told him that she wanted to see, and so he carefully took that box of a picket in his robes and opened it for her. She smiled wide and looked up at Harry.

"It's perfect Harry, she'll love it. All the charms you picked are her in a nutshell too."

"Gossiping on the job?"

Harry smirked as he looked up at George, who had poked his head out of the back room again. "Stuff it George," he said. "Angelina can have a break now and then can't she?"

He could hear the girl giggle as George scowled. "I have a reputation to keep! Can't have my employees thinking I'm nice."

"A bit too late for that George," Angelina said with a small smirk on her face. George reacted with his own face, but Harry could swear he saw a bit of a blush there.

"Anyways," Harry said. "I just came to pick up your mother's shopping I had delivered here, and I wanted to ask your opinion on something, both of you that is."

"What's going on, adoptive brother of mine?" George asked as he leaned against the wall.

"Well, I noticed that Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor hadn't reopened yet and I inquired at the leasing office about the space. It looks as if the Fortescue family doesn't want the space anymore, and I had an idea."

Looking at the two of them, he continued slowly. "I know people were half-joking on my birthday about your mother opening a store, but I think it's a brilliant idea. Her cakes and pastries are superb, and it would give her something to do other than sit around the Burrow all day long. With her treats and the usual ice cream, she would do really well."

George looked thoughtful for a while, then a grin spread across his face. "You have a good idea there Harry."

Angelina nodded. "It _would_ be brilliant, to be honest. The Alley is lacking a place to relax and have a bite to eat right now.

Harry finally relaxed and smiled. It was good to hear the idea he had been thinking about for a few days wasn't just a fantasy. "I know it's going to take a bit to convince Mum, but I think it can be done," he said. "I'll even foot the rent until the shop gets off it's feet."

George grimaced. "Mum won't like that little detail, but I suppose we can work around it. You really want to do this Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I do. Your family's given me so much and I want to give back. I have a pile of gold left to me by my parents and I want to use it for good things."

"Well brother, like Angelina said, it's a brilliant idea. Let's get some heads together at home and figure out a way to ask her."

Harry was about to nod when he heard a voice in his head.

_What are you so giddy about love?_

He smiled and soul-spoke back to Ginny. _I was just talking to George about an idea I had, we'll tell everyone after dinner when he's home. Well, not everyone. I didn't think to test out our ability after I got here, seems like it works just the same. You can even feel what I'm feeling all the way out here._

_Sure looks that way Harry, though I think it's taking a little more effort than usual to send my thoughts to you. What's the idea?_

_I'll tell you when I get back love. Angelina and George are starting to look at me strangely._

_Why.. oh! Sorry, I broke in on a conversation didn't I?_

_It's ok Gin', we were about done. I'll see you in a few minutes._

_Can't wait, Harry._

"You alright Harry?" Angelina asked, a strange look on her face.

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. Was just thinking about something and lost myself."

George smirked. "Wouldn't happen to be remembering your birthday night would you?"

Harry looked at his older 'brother'. "What?"

"Don't be coy with me Harry. Just about everyone knows you and Ginny didn't come home last week. Kreacher told Mum you were both 'tired' and spending the night at Grimmauld Place."

Angelina giggled at this information and looked at Harry, who just smiled.

"Yeah, we did. If you two ever want to spend a night there, away from the apartment upstairs just let me know." The smirk on his face and his straight tone was enough to make the both of them stop their giggling and snickering and look at each other.

Harry chortled as he picked up his packages and bags for the trip back to the Burrow. "You two have no one fooled, trust me."

George was about to recover with a witty comment when all three of them felt a quick vibration under their feet which made some of the small items fall off their shelves, followed by a very loud explosion.

People outside the store could be heard screaming and running up the Alley, and in a flash the three of them were looking out the window.

"What the hell," Angelina was asking, looking at people running towards the Leaky Cauldron.

They could see a fire in the distance, and Harry could tell it was coming from Knockturn Alley. He took a look out a window with a better view and saw the smoke billowing upwards.

All of a sudden he saw something and tensed up, George and Angelina doing the same a split second later. George immediately locked the store's door and started muttering incantations and charms.

_Harry, what's going on?_ He could hear the nervousness in her voice.

_We're fine Ginny, but you need to call for Kreacher and have him tell your father and Kingsley that they need to get here immediately. Something exploded in Knockturn Alley and there's something in the sky. They should bring as much help as they can. _

_What… in the sky?_

_It's the Dark Mark, Ginny._

* * *

A few hours later, a crowd of nervous Weasleys, plus Hermione, Harry and Angelina were sitting around the kitchen table talking quietly as Mrs. Weasley was preparing dinner. They were all anxious for Arthur and Percy to come home and give them news.

George, Angelina and Harry had used the Floo Network to get back to the Burrow within minutes of Ginny getting the word out through Kreacher. They had described everything they saw, but of course everyone was on pins and needles for more information. Halfway through the afternoon Bill and Fleur arrived as well, having heard the news and wanting to know more.

Most everyone was stunned to hear about the Dark Mark being used, though the ideas that floated around the table made sense. They all knew that there were still some Death Eaters and Voldemort supporters out there and on the loose, wanting to cause trouble and get back at people.

It was very late and hours after dinner when a very tired Mr. Weasley and Percy Apparated at the back door of the Burrow. They were immediately barraged with questions, which only stopped when Mrs. Weasley shouted for silence, telling everyone to wait until the two had eaten and told their story.

Apparently, the explosion had come from Borgin and Burke's, a store which Harry was all too familiar with. From what the investigation had turned out so far, the explosion had come from something in the store, and had brought the whole building down. Arthur explained that the store had been under surveillance on and off for a few weeks now due to some allegations that the store owner was in league with some of the at-large Death Eaters.

"Don't tell anyone else this just yet," Percy said after taking a large gulp of pumpkin juice, "but Mr. Borgin must have had a serious falling out with one of his contacts. We found his body in the rubble. He was actually in the process of informing on them to the Ministry in order to save his own hide, but somehow they found out."

"And someone wanted to make sure he stayed silent," Harry said darkly.

Everyone nodded, and the mood for the rest of the night was somber.

* * *

_Looks like peace in the wizarding world may be short-lived… what does this mean for everyone?_

_Next time: The four friends learn a few things about the upcoming school year, and the two young couples spend some quality time together…_

_As always, Favorite/Follow/Review if you like what you've read, or if you want to trash me publicly. I can take it, I promise! Big thanks as usual to my Beta readers for their help!_

_-Midnight_


	17. Responsibilities

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 17 - Responsibilities **

The morning after the trouble in Diagon and Knockturn Alley, a very groggy Harry was being woken up by his lover, who was planting kisses all over his face. He groaned playfully and buried his face in the pillow.

_Five more minutes love? _he asked in a sleepy tone.

He could hear her giggle as she continued her kissing on his bare shoulders. _It's time to get up Harry. I have a feeling we're going to have an interesting day._

_Can't we just stay in bed all day long?_

_Mmm, that does sound pretty inviting but I'm sure my Mum would have something to say about that._

Almost as if on cue, they heard a knock at Ginny's door. "Ginny, Harry, get dressed and come have breakfast. We're going to have company in a few minutes." With that, Mrs. Weasley was heard heading further upstairs.

Ginny pulled away from Harry and leaned against the wall with a sigh. "She sure does know how to ruin a moment."

Harry had a smirk on his face as he sat up in the bed, reaching over for his glasses. "Well, at least she's not going on about the bed-sharing that's been going on here…"

"Fair point. I'm still surprised she hasn't said much about it, or that you haven't been turned into a toad so many times your skin is staying green."

He reached over and starting tickling Ginny's foot, which caused her to shriek and giggle insanely. She finally fell against his frame and he pulled her into his arms, lifting her chin up to his with his hand and kissing her warmly.

When they broke apart they both had big smiles on. "That was an amazing way to wake up by the way Gin'," he said as he swung his feet off the bed and started looking around for something to wear.

"Mmm, I thought you'd appreciate it," Ginny said as she walked into her adjoining bathroom to get ready. "Who do you think's coming over?" she called out over the sound of the running faucet.

Harry shrugged even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Not sure, but it's probably not Bill and Fleur, your Mum seemed too excited for it to be them."

Ginny could only nod and make an affirmative sounding grunt since she had started brushing her teeth. Harry pulled on a clean shirt and padded over to the doorway of the bathroom and leaned against it, admiring Ginny's reflection in the small mirror. She was gorgeous even though she had just gotten out of bed, was still in her pajamas and her hair was frizzy and messed up.

She caught his eye in the mirror after rinsing out her mouth and smiled somewhat sheepishly. "What are you staring at Mr. Potter?"

"You," he said simply. "You're beautiful."

Her head was shaking as she pushed him back playfully into the room and started changing into shorts and a t-shirt. "You are incorrigible, Harry." She didn't bother going back into the bathroom to change, Harry had seen almost every bit of her body already. Ever since his birthday evening, she had taken to changing in front of him, but with her back turned. She knew he liked looking at her, but he was still a gentleman when it happened and focused on other things instead of staring at her like a young schoolboy.

"I only speak the truth, love."

A smirk crossed her face as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and checked herself in the dresser mirror.

"Methinks you are biased."

Harry walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the back of her head. "Even if it's biased, it's still true." He saw the smile on her face and dropped his arms, taking her hand in his. "Come on, let's go see what's going on."

The two met Ron and Hermione on the stairs, and together the four of them walked down to the main floor. A loud noise from the living room got their attention before they could sit at the kitchen table, and within moments the emerald flames of the Floo Network spat two individuals out.

Mrs. Weasley nearly bowled Ron over as she rushed into the room to welcome Professor McGonagall and Minister Shacklebolt. Harry and Ginny gave each other a look as the new arrivals were ushered into the kitchen and followed everyone in.

_Reckon this is about yesterday?_ Ginny asked him.

_Probably, love. I'm willing to bet they've been talking about security for school._

"Thank you Molly," McGonagall started out, taking hold of the mugs of tea Mrs. Weasley had just set down in front of them. Kingsley just nodded his thanks, looking as if he could have used a few more hours of sleep. As Harry took a seat across from Kingsley the older wizard gave Harry a wink and a nod, and Harry smiled. Minerva looked across the table and cleared her throat.

"I hope you all have been having a good summer thus far," she said in her usual no-nonsense voice. "I heard you were in Diagon Alley when the explosion happened, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded. "Things do seem to happen when I'm around."

Smirks appeared on everyone's faces and Kingsley chuckled a bit. "That they do. I'm glad you got out of there quickly. Luckily, no one but the store owner was injured."

McGonagall nodded. "The Minister and I were just having a conversation about increased security for the school this coming year. There have been plans being made all summer long but yesterday's events call for even more attention to the safety of the students."

Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron all nodded their agreement. Kingsley continued on. "We will need your help in patrolling the Hogwarts Express during its trip on September the first. There will be Aurors on the platform before it leaves for security, but only two on the train during the trip north. We don't want to cause a panic with the children, so these two Aurors will remain under Disillusionment Charms the whole time. If anything happens, you four will be called upon to help."

Mrs. Weasley looked as if she wanted to say something about that, but then she stopped and thought better of it as she saw the determined looks on her children's faces.

Professor McGonagall picked up the conversation. "As you know, traditionally the Head Boy and Girl join teachers on a rotating schedule of hallway patrols after curfew each night, and also during Hogsmeade visits. We will be asking for your help with this as well Mr. Potter, Ms. Weasley. We will have Aurors stationed at the school throughout the year for support," she said as she looked at Kingsley.

The dark-skinned man nodded. "We plan to have half a dozen Aurors and support crew on the grounds or in Hogsmeade at all times." His normal smile then turned serious as he regarded the four sitting across from him. "Now, we're not hearing any chatter about a possible attack at the school but we must be prepared nonetheless. The Headmistress and I have been discussing what I'm about to tell you for a few weeks now, and we believe we can trust you lot."

"Because of recent events, I am hereby authorizing you four to use whichever hexes, spells and charms you deem necessary to protect yourselves and your fellow students. _Any_ spell," he said as he looked at them.

He produced a piece of paper from his robes and slid it across the table to the four of them. "This is a special Portkey spell that you are also authorized to use. It has been designed to work even inside school grounds, and should get you past any anti-traveling spells as well. In the event that something happens at school this year, any of you can use it to create a Portkey to send large numbers of students to safety. Simply touch your wands to any object, say the incantation and concentrate hard on a location you know to be safe."

All four friends looked to the paper, then to each other and Kingsley. Ron's mouth hung open a tad as if he was flabbergasted.

"I know this is a bit to take in," McGonagall said softly. "But as Kingsley said, these are all precautions we feel need to be taken. I've also added all of you to the various security spells and charms around the castle, which I will go over with the lot of you when you arrive."

She paused a bit to let this all sink in. "The Minister and I also insist that you keep all of this a secret from everyone but your family here. We would rather not have it known that we are entrusting the safety of students to students themselves, even if we implicitly believe and trust in you lot. It would just be better overall for the school's public image and for your own safety.

Harry nodded and spoke up. "Understood Professor. I think we're all hoping for a quiet and normal last year at school." Everyone nodded and murmured their agreement.

McGonagall smiled. "I'm glad to hear it Mr. Potter, but I am hoping that you will agree to make it a bit more interesting for yourselves."

They all raised an eyebrow at that and even Mrs. Weasley stopped stirring her tea. McGonagall chuckled. "With the large shake-up in our teaching staff after this past year, I'm finding that we are a bit understaffed for a few of our classes. As you know by now Bill will be taking over the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but with my new duties as Headmistress I have also asked him and our new Muggle Studies teacher to cover a few of my Transfiguration lessons."

"I certainly do not wish to overload him during his first year, and so I would like to offer the lot of you roles as Teacher Assistants. Harry and Ron, Bill has asked for the three of you to take charge of teaching his first year Defense Against the Dark Arts students. Hermione, Professor Smithley would be grateful for your assistance with her third year Muggle Studies students. Ginny, Madame Pomfrey has expressed her interest in your good grades and abilities in Potions, Charms and Herbology. She is looking for an Assistant Healer to work with her this year and help conduct a few First Aid classes to interested students."

Every eye in the room was staring at McGonagall, except for Kingsley who was trying to stifle a chuckle. Mrs. Weasley was the first to speak up.

"That's… a real honor Minerva. There's no doubt that they are all capable of teaching, especially with how they ran the DA the last few years. Will they have the time to do it all though, it being N.E.W.T. year?"

Mrs. Weasley's question had them all nodding and looking to McGonagall for the answer. The older witch chuckled. "Minister Shacklebolt and I have been discussing that. We both feel that all of you have shown remarkable knowledge and practice in not only Defense Against the Dark Arts, but other classes as well. If you choose to accept the Teacher's Assistant positions, you will all be excused from taking History of Magic and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes this year. You will still need to attend your other core and elective classes, but each professor has been told that you may be excused from their classes and assignments if they believe you are ready. At the end of the year when your classmates take their N.E.W.T.s, the examiners will administer a different condensed version of the exams to you."

Kingsley continued the explanation. "The tests you will receive are the ones that are given to those who apply for positions at the Ministry, but haven't had the opportunity to study at Hogwarts, or come from other countries and schools. You will still receive N.E.W.T scores based on your performance. Harry and Ron, I know that both of you wish to become Aurors, and that you Miss Granger have been thinking about a job inside the Ministry. Needless to say, if you all do well this year I will be offering each of you positions. That includes you Ginny," he said with a smile.

All four friends were wishing the bench they were sitting on had backings so they could sit back and think. Slowly, they all looked at each other.

"Take a few moments and talk about it," Kingsley said. "I do need to get back to the Ministry but Professor McGonagall will let me know of your decisions. I hope you all have a wonderful day…"

With that he stood, and Mrs. Weasley accompanied him to the fireplace while McGonagall excused herself to look out the windows.

"Wow," Ron said quietly.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That's about all I can think of…"

Hermione looked at the rest of them. "Well if we're not going to have to sit some classes and have less assignments, I think I want to do it."

Ron looked at Hermione with mock shock on his face. "You want _less_ homework Hermione?"

He got a playful swat on the arm in response. "More time to spend with you Ronald."

Ginny giggled. "You're right Hermione. We won't have as much work to do now like we thought we would, and even with Quidditch practices and the extra classes that you have and we don't, we'd still end up with time to ourselves."

A smile came across Harry's face. "Yeah, seems like our last year isn't going to be normal after all. What do you think mate?" he asked, looking to Ron.

Ron nodded. "I guess it would be fun to do, and if it gets us jobs as Aurors then I'm for it."

"All right then," Harry said, getting up to tell McGonagall their decision.

* * *

A few hours later and with lunch settling in their stomachs, Hermione sent Ron off to work at George's shop with a kiss and joined Harry and Ginny on the back porch. Harry had told Ron quietly before he left to talk with George about the idea he had had the previous day, and now Hermione was intrigued as well.

Since he hadn't had a chance to tell Ginny yet either, the three of them took a walk into the woods and Harry laid out his idea to buy the closed up ice cream shop for Mrs. Weasley if she wanted it. When he was finished talking Hermione was jumping with excitement and Ginny was hugging Harry from the side, just as tightly as her mother did.

"Harry, that's just brilliant. You know you don't have to do that though, I don't know how we're ever going to be able to convince Mum…" Ginny said quietly.

"I want to do it Gin'. Your family has always done something for me and I just want to give back. George said yesterday he was going to bring it up with Bill, Charlie and Percy to get any ideas from them. Then we can get Dad involved, I'm sure he'll have a few thoughts."

He smiled then. "Either way, Mum will have some time to think about it." Reaching into his pocket, he showed them two cruise tickets. "Once we're back at school we're sending your parents on a vacation to themselves. I sent Kingsley an owl yesterday to see about getting your Dad the time off."

Ginny was speechless and looked over at Harry as Hermione took the tickets and looked them over. "A European cruise trip, they'll love it Harry. My parents took one like it before and they still talk about it."

_Harry,_ he heard in his mind quietly. _You really didn't have to do that you know. Both of them are going to have Kneazles when they find out. _

She was looking at him intently and he just smiled. _I'll deal with the repercussions if I have to love, but they've done so much and been through a lot. They deserve it._

They must have been staring at each other for a bit, because Hermione looked at the both of them.

"What's going on?" she asked them with a frown on her face. "That's like the fifth time this week I've noticed you two just looking at each other like you're about to jump each other's bones."

They both blushed and looked at her. "I've had a feeling you two are keeping something to yourselves," she stated, putting her hands on her hips.

_Should we tell her?_ Harry asked without looking at Ginny.

_Might as well love, we were going to tell her and Ron anyway._

_Yes, though I was hoping to keep it our secret for a bit longer._

Ginny just looked at Harry with a smile before turning back to Hermione. "Ermm, Hermione there was something we haven't told you that we've discovered about our situation. The night you came back, we started talking to each other."

Hermione looked back and forth between the two of them. "What about?"

Harry grinned. "It's not what about, but how. We can talk telepathically."

Their friend gasped softly. "Telepathically? As in, in each other's minds?"

"Yes," Harry and Ginny said at the same time, before they grinned and looked at each other.

"You're the first person we've told," Ginny said. "My parents, the Healer, not even Dumbledore knows yet."

Hermione smiled. "Well, I'm glad you guys told me first, but why keep it a secret? They would want to know."

Harry nodded. "Eventually we'll tell everyone, but we wanted to have something private between us for a while. Besides, I've spent enough time at St. Mungo's for my liking."

Hermione nodded. "I see your point. Alright, I won't tell a soul," she said with a giggle realizing her pun. "What about Ron?"

Ginny was grinning. "We'll tell him tonight, but we should have some fun with it. Prank him as good as the twins would."

Harry laughed as he saw a devious grin on both of the girls faces. "Ron isn't going to know what hit him, will he?"

* * *

_Poor Ron, he really isn't going to know hit him, because even I don't know how to break it to him yet. That may be in the next chapter, or not at all :P_

_If you like what you've read, please Favorite, Review and/or Follow. As always, big thanks to my Beta readers for their help!_

_-Midnight_


	18. Worries and Memories

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Warning: Just a tiny tad of disturbing images near the end of the chapter, you'll see where._

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 18 - Worries and Memories**

Ron sat back with a full stomach and sighed contently. "That was amazingly good, never had Chinese food before…"

Isla giggled out loud as Hermione grinned and shook her head. "You know I've known you for seven years Ron, and it still surprises me how much you love your food."

He scowled over at the two of them. "I _appreciate_ certain foods is all. Besides, isn't it a sign of respect to the chef to finish everything?"

Hermione joined in with Isla's giggles as she stood and started to clean up the takeout dinner boxes. She and Ron had spent the day with her new adoptive sister while Mr. and Mrs. Granger were at work and having a night to themselves. Hermione had worried that Isla would take offense to needing a babysitter at her age, but the girl seemed to have had a good time.

* * *

Since they had done it so many times, Hermione and Ron had taken Isla shopping in Diagon Alley for all her school supplies. Hermione still had all of her books from first year, but they still spent quite a bit of time in Flourish and Blotts. It looked as if Isla's eyes were going to pop out of her face as she looked around, and Hermione couldn't help but grin as she bought another copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ to give to Isla.

Ron went to pick up the potion kits that they all needed while the sisters got fitted for new school robes, and they all met up at Ollivander's for Isla's wand. The younger Granger was pretty intimidated as she looked around the dark shop, filled to the brim with boxes of wands. The appearance of Mr. Ollivander himself at her side spooked her, but she got over it and started to smile as the older wizard gave both Hermione and Ron hugs and asked them how they had been doing.

As the enchanted tape flitted around Isla taking it's measurements and Mr. Ollivander roamed the shelves looking for prospective wands, Hermione and Ron quickly recounted the tale of them and Harry finding Mr. Ollivander in the dungeon at Malfoy Manor and their time at Shell Cottage. Within a few minutes, Isla was handed a wand to try.

She took hold of the instrument by its handle and immediately felt a warm glow. At everyone's urging, she waved it around feeling a bit silly. That feeling turned into amazement as she saw gold sparks shooting out of the wand's tip, followed by a pink puff of smoke.

Mr. Ollivander was clapping enthusiastically. "Ah, very good Miss Granger. Nine and a half inches, made of fir wood and a dragon heartstring core. One of the best wands with which to do Transfiguration that one is, I do believe that Professor McGonagall has a very similar wand. It's not very often that a wand and it's owner are matched on the first try. I sense good things for your future young Isla."

Isla beamed and looked at Hermione with a giant grin on her face. They paid for her wand and continued with their shopping.

* * *

Isla was still excited about her shopping experience after dinner was done; she had gone through and looked at everything they had bought at least twice. Her favorite item out of everything was the copy of _Hogwarts, A History_, and she curled up in a corner of the living room couch reading it while Hermione and Ron were relaxing on the other couch watching the television.

Ron had found a football game to watch, and while he thought it wasn't as exciting as Quidditch he could see why his friend Dean liked the sport so much. Hermione was explaining to Ron what the cell phone he had seen in a commercial was when Isla set her book down and looked at the both of them.

"The ceiling in the Great Hall shows you the outside? Wicked!"

Ron grinned widely and looked over to Hermione at that. "The Granger tradition continues!"

Hermione grabbed the throw pillow that was next to her and playfully smacked Ron a couple times as she goggled. Isla looked at the two of them with confusion on her face, which caused Ron to laugh as well.

"Your sister was quite the bookworm at school, still is really. It's just funny that you two share the same love for books and reading." He just grinned at Hermione's scowl. "I wouldn't be surprised if she's read nearly all the books in the library at Hogwarts."

Isla's eyes looked as if they were sparkling. "I love libraries… how big is the one there?"

Hermione just grinned. "Big. Professor Dumbledore once told us that he hadn't been able to read everything in it yet, and he'd been there for ages. I'm sure you'll like it little one, but there's many other things you can do after your homework's done. Flying lessons, chess, gobstones, there's a bunch of clubs you can join too."

Isla just shrugged a bit and turned back to her new book. "I don't know about that, I'm happy to just study and keep reading things."

The little Granger missed the look that Ron and Hermione gave each other. Ron knew that Hermione was worried about her sister's shyness and lack of friends and how she would do once they all got to school. He took Hermione's hand and smiled at her warmly and she did smile back, though it seemed to be a sad one.

By the time the game on the television had ended Isla had fallen asleep on the couch, having finally expended all that excited energy. Both Hermione and Ron looked over at her with smiles, and got up together to help her to bed. Hermione gently woke her so she could walk to her bedroom, but Ron ended up carrying her most of the way after she nearly tripped going up the stairs.

Hermione helped the half-asleep girl into some pajamas and tucked her in before she and Ron made their way back downstairs to snuggle on the couch.

"Kids are great," Ron said quietly as he pulled her closer to himself.

Hermione nodded. "I always wanted a younger sibling to take care of. I just wish I could've known her when she was younger too, I adore little ones." She felt Ron press a kiss to the side of her head.

"I was watching you with her today, you're a natural 'Mione. There are some kids in the future that are going to have an excellent mother."

A small, sad-looking smile appeared on her face. "You aren't so bad yourself Ron." She meant what she was saying, but the thoughts in her head that had been festering all day suddenly seem to well up.

"I'm just really worried about her Ron, my parents too. I know she looks excited and all, but deep down I think she's extremely scared and I don't know what being around three and a half hundred people and not being able to go home each day will do to her."

Her speech started to speed up. "I know that I'll be there to help her, but I'm afraid I'm going to miss something when she really needs me because of our own classes. We're going to be teaching too, and patrolling at night and between lessons. What if I don't have enough time to be there for her? I don't want to miss any time with you e.. either Ron…"

Hermione could feel her heart racing and her head spinning, and slowly her head seemed to fall forward on it's own.

Ron had been getting worried about her more as each second passed in her nervous outburst, and he felt the hand he was holding go cold. He was about to say something when he saw her getting dizzy and he grabbed her shoulders to catch her from falling forward off the couch.

"Hermione?" he asked in a worried tone, leaning her back so that she was resting against the couch. She was taking very quick and shallow breaths but she was still awake and looking around, trying to talk. He was scared out of his wits seeing her like this but he knew he couldn't freak out.

It was clear she had worked herself into a panic attack, and so he took both of her hands and looked directly into her eyes.

"Hermione, love, listen to me okay? Everything is just fine. Nothing bad is going to happen. Focus on me and try to take deeper breaths for me alright?"

She nodded quickly and squeezed his hands hard, willing herself to take longer breaths.

"Good, that's really good 'Mione… just keep relaxing. Close your eyes and keep breathing deep. Think to yourself, 'I'm going to be okay.'"

Ron could feel himself relax as she did, continuing to hold her hands and speaking words of encouragement. When he was finally convinced that she had settled down he gently pulled her into himself for a hug, and he could feel her relax against him as if she was made of gelatin. Hermione began to cry softly into his chest causing a large wet stain on his shirt but he didn't feel or notice it as he ran his hand up and down her back soothingly.

After a while, Hermione sniffled a few times and lifted her head a bit to look at him. Her eyes were red and puffy and what little makeup she had used earlier that day was slightly smeared, but Ron still smiled warmly at her. She was beautiful.

"Feeling better love?"

She nodded slowly before adjusting herself to lean against the back of the couch, laying her head on his shoulder. "I.. I'm sorry Ron… I don't know what came over me," she said with a choked up voice.

He wrapped an arm around her protectively and took her hands in his free one. "It was a small panic attack, but you seem to be fine now. Had me worried there for a bit."

"How… how could you tell?"

Ron smiled a bit. "Well, don't go telling him that I told you, but Charlie used to get them pretty bad. I used to watch Bill and my parents help him at home, so I knew what to do here. Have you ever had them before?"

She shook her head, then stopped for a moment. "Not until after we were at Malfoy Manor. I think maybe I had one right when we arrived at Shell Cottage, but Fleur was right there and I think she gave me some Calming Draught because I was so freaked out that night."

He nodded thoughtfully, his mind thinking of that night as well. _If anything could start panic attacks, _he thought to himself, _what happened to her that night would do it._ He kissed her forehead gently before continuing.

"'Mione, what you went through that night was horrible. I'm no expert but I think the memories from that are mixing with your worries about Isla and about school."

She looked up at him with a sad face that he could feel in his heart. "They're real feelings, I know, but you can't let them take you so deep again. 'Mione we've been through hell and back. Whatever happens, we're going to be able to face it. We'll figure out how to help Isla together, and we'll find time to spend together at school, just me and you. You don't have to do anything by yourself anymore. Except maybe Arithmancy," he said as a small joke.

The diversion worked and she chuckled softly. "Thank you."

Ron just smiled and squeezed her hands. "I mean it 'Mione, you can tell me anything and we'll work it out."

She cleared her throat a bit and then yawned. "I know I was a bit fuzzy there for a bit, but did you say _Charlie_ got panic attacks? Charlie who used to work with dragons?"

He chortled. "Yeah, he did. Luckily he got it all worked out of his system before he got onto the Gryffindor Quidditch team and then left school. He used to have pretty bad ones before matches."

Hermione smiled as she idly played with his hand, and frowned as she looked down at it. She could see scratches and marks on his palm. "Oh no..." she mumbled. "Did I do that? I'm so sorry Ron…"

He picked up his hand and looked at it. "Huh. I didn't even feel that, of course my mind was on other things. Don't worry about it love."

She brought his hand up to her mouth and kissed his palm a few times before holding it against her chest. "Still, I feel bad about it. I'll clear those up for you right now."

Ron stopped her from getting up. "Not tonight you won't," he said as he watched her yawn. "You're not going to be able to stay up for much longer, and you need to relax. We're not going anywhere."

Carefully, he started to lay down on the couch and brought her with him. Grabbing his wand out of his pocket, he tapped the couch twice and it stretched a bit until they were both comfortable.

Hermione smiled as she curled up against his chest and breathed in deeply. His scent always seemed to calm her down as they fell asleep together.

"Ron, I forgot if I said it already, but I love you."

He smiled and kissed her gently on the lips before closing his eyes. "I love you too 'Mione. Get some rest."

They were both asleep within a minute or two, not noticing that the younger Granger sister was watching them from the second floor landing, a small smile on her face.

* * *

Miles away near Ottery St. Catchpole, Harry and Ginny had just walked into the Burrow after a long night time walk. Shedding their shoes near the back door, they started up the stairs to their room before they heard a throat clearing behind them in the kitchen.

They both looked back to see Mr. Weasley sitting at the table with two mugs of tea. "Ermm, Harry. Can I talk with you for a moment?" he asked with a smile.

Harry nodded before looking over at Ginny. _Uhoh, I wonder what's going on here._

He could hear a small snickering in her voice. _I think I know what it's about Harry, but I won't ruin the surprise for you._

_Oi, thanks for that…_ Harry said with a gulp as he descended the two stairs back to the ground floor and crossing the room to take a seat across from Mr. Weasley.

The older wizard pointed his wand at the other mug on the table and it filled up with warm tea before he pushed it over to Harry.

"Harry, this is a bit awkward for me to say, being as how I see you as one of my own sons who just happens to be dating my only daughter."

Harry struggled to keep a straight face on as his brain went crazy with thoughts. "I can only imagine how strange it has to be," he said slowly, "and I think I know what you are going to say. Ginny comes of age tomorrow, she's going to be an adult and that's a bit frightening for you."

Arthur Weasley nodded. "You're absolutely right Harry, it's enough to give any parent a few sleepless nights. Like I said though, you are essentially a member of this family and I know you pretty well Harry. I know that you won't take advantage of my daughter or do anything to harm her, so at least that part of my mind can relax."

"I know it's awkward to hear this but I suppose it needs to be said anyway. As much as Molly and I want to see grandchildren soon, we don't particularly want to see them coming from our youngest child first." A small smile crossed his face.

"Molly and I both knew that you two were meant for each other, even before the whole soul and bonding thing happened. We can tell you two are even closer now because of it, and it's a wonderful thing to see. You're both still young and have a year of school to go, and then perhaps your whole lives ahead of you. We just want you two to be careful is all."

Harry nodded, and didn't know quite what to say in response. He shifted and felt the time piece in his pocket, then had a thought.

"Mr. Weasley…"

"Harry, you know better…" Arthur said with a kind look.

Harry smiled. "Ermm, right, Dad. Thank you for trusting me like you are. I don't ever want to hurt Ginny or make her do anything she doesn't want to. I'd face Voldemort again if it would stop her from feeling any pain."

"I do feel like we are meant to be together, Ginny and I, and I already know I'd like to spend the rest of my life together with her." He paused for a moment, summoning some courage.

"If I were to ask her to marry me, would I have your blessing?"

Harry looked down for a moment, then back up at Mr. Weasley and his reaction.

"Not like, tomorrow or anything." He said quickly, then sighed in relief as he saw the older wizard's face relax. "Like you said, Ginny and I still have school to worry about and then finding jobs after that. I just wanted to know, for the future."

Arthur nodded and smiled. "Thinking ahead already are you. I'm glad that you aren't rushing into anything, Harry. To answer your question, yes of course you would have my blessing as well as Molly's. That's something that we've long decided. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything," Harry responded.

"Come talk to me again before you actually ask her. It's not that we'd change our minds in the meantime, but it would be nice. Plus, I'd be able to calm Molly down a little before she gives you two hugs so hard your ribs would be bruised." The older wizard smiled as he held out his hand to Harry.

"Deal," Harry said as he shook his adoptive father's hand.

The two talked for a while longer as they sipped their tea, mostly about the upcoming school year and the four friends' duties as Head Students and Teacher Assistants.

With a start, Harry set his mug down a little hard. As the _clunk!_ resounded through the room, he whipped his head around and looked up at the ceiling as if he could see something. In his mind he could feel a sudden sense of dread and fright. He shuddered for a moment and then looked to Mr. Weasley.

The older wizard was looking worried. "Harry, what is it?"

"Ginny," Harry said quietly, standing up quickly and moving to the staircase. "She's having a horrible nightmare."

He quickly made his way up the stairs and made his way into Ginny's room. The room was dark, but he could still see Ginny's outline as she thrashed around on the bed. In an instant he was sitting on the bed and reaching his hands out to Ginny's shoulders. "Ginny! Ginny it's okay! Wake up!"

Something lit up the room and Harry glanced over to see Mr. Weasley standing in the doorway with his wand lit, looking worried. Ginny continued to thrash around and moan beside him, so he moved a hand to her cheek and carefully tapped it.

"Ginny! It's just a nightmare love, you can wake up and leave it!"

A moment later Ginny sat up straight and he could see the fear in her eyes as she screamed for a few seconds. Harry took her hands and squeezed them. "Gin', it's okay now. I'm here."

It took Ginny a few moments to compose herself and get her breathing under control, before she leaned into Harry for support and started sobbing. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Mrs. Weasley in the doorway asking Arthur what had happened. Harry nodded slightly to them as if to say he had everything under control, and looked back to the woman in his arms. She was shaking with her sobs so he wrapped his arms around her tightly, bringing her head into his chest.

He noticed the light leaving the room as the other Weasley's left the doorway. A very dim lantern was now on the hallway ceiling just above the doorway where there wasn't one before, and he smiled gratefully.

Harry sat there in the semi darkness for what seemed like ages, rubbing Ginny's back lightly to comfort her. After a while he could hear her settling down, and eventually she lifted her head from him and sat up straight. He could barely see her face but she looked so disheveled. Carefully tucking the loose strands of hair from in front of her face to behind her ears, Harry kissed her forehead softly.

"T..thanks H..arry.." she said with a small hiccup.

He smiled at her and took her hands again. "Bad nightmare?"

Ginny just nodded and sniffled again, feeling a slight shiver as she remembered bits of it. Harry felt it, and turned to lean against the wall. He pulled her into him so her back was against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, rocking them back and forth gently.

_I'm here if you want to talk about it Gin'._

Harry didn't hear anything from her for almost a full minute besides a sniffle.

_It was a bit of everything. I was back at school but it was last year before we went into hiding at Easter._ She paused for a moment. _I know people told you about the Carrows and their punishments. I… I was remembering some of the worst ones…_

Harry nodded softly, remembering the scarring and bruises that were tell-tale of the punishments and detentions from the last year. _What did they do?_

Ginny shivered again but knew she had to let it out and tell someone. _For those two, punishing students was something they loved. Any step out of line got you a detention with them if they saw it. The muggle-born students they got had the worst of them, but if it was a.. a pure-blood student they had some kind of honor code. They wouldn't leave scars or bruises on us, especially the girls._

He wanted to ask her questions but kept both his physical and mental mouth shut so she could continue.

_Alecto, she was a terror to do detention for. She used that quill that Umbridge used on you all the time, and sometimes we were there all night until the sun came up. But her brother… Harry he was something else entirely. _

_He liked to give detentions to.. to the younger girls. Almost every day he tried to give a third or fourth year a detention with him._

She started to cry a little and wrapped Harry's arms around her tighter. Harry could see where Ginny was going with her memories and he could feel his anger rising.

_Once me and the older girls found out what he was trying to do, we started taking detentions for the other girls, or doing something to get detention when he was watching so he wouldn't bother them. His punishments Harry,_ she said as she shivered again, _he used Crucio on us._

Harry felt her turn and press her face into his neck. _He would make us stand in the middle of the room, wave his wand every so often to send a jolt of pain. Over and over until someone either fell to the ground or he got bored. The sixth and seventh years, we did it for a couple of months taking turns to stop him from doing it to the younger girls._

_And then we were in hiding Harry, at Aunt Muriel's. I was free from the Carrows but we were all worried about you, Ron and Hermione. Then we were back at Hogwarts and… oh god Fred…_

Ginny began sobbing again into him and he held her tight. Harry could feel the sorrow and grief in her mind, and his rage at what she had told him was replaced by the feeling of his own heart breaking, like someone was reaching into him and squeezing it dry. He pressed his lips to her forehead and kept them there as he started to rock the both of them side to side again.

Harry felt so inadequate at the moment, wanting to be able to make it all better for his love but not being able to. She had a giant hole in her heart from Fred's death, and a fear so deeply entrenched in her that it had taken the mother of all nightmares to get free. There was much that had happened to her in the past few months, and all he could do was hold her and try to comfort her.

Feeling her lift her head again, he looked down and saw a face that he hoped he'd never have to see again. Ginny was looking so sad and despondent, her cheeks stained with tears. As he used his fingers to wipe away her tears, he swore to himself that he would do everything he could to make sure she would never feel like this again. He smiled a bit and squeezed her in his hug a bit.

_I wish I could take away all your pain Ginny, I really do. I miss Fred horribly too, but he was your brother. It'll take some time love. I can promise you though, that the Carrows will never do what they did again. No one will ever do that at Hogwarts again. You were incredibly brave doing what you did, and I would have been right there with you if I could have._

Ginny smiled, but only a tiny bit. _I know you would have Harry, but you were there with me already. The thought of you holding me like you are now was the only thing that got me through those times. I was never without you._

She closed her eyes and nuzzled into him, breathing a long sigh of relief. Feeling her mind relaxing like it did before she usually fell asleep, Harry helped her lay down on the bed properly. When he was right next to her he pulled her in close and wrapped an arm around her as was their normal way of falling asleep, but this time it was more. It was his sign to her that he would always protect her. Ginny sensed this in his mind and smiled as she drifted off to sleep, knowing that her dreams would be peaceful now.

_I love you..._she said, before succumbing to sleep's embrace.

It took a while longer for Harry to join her in sleep, part of him wanting to make sure she wouldn't have another nightmare. Eventually he got to the point of no return as well but not before he heard a very tiny beep from his watch, signaling the midnight hour. He smiled as he pressed a kiss to the back of Ginny's head, smelling the usual flowery scent.

_Happy Birthday, love._

* * *

_A little bit of a heavy episode there! I wanted to give the couples something each to deal with in this chapter; it can't just be all flowers and unicorns all day long. As usual, my mind took ideas and kept running with them._

_Next time: Ginny's birthday starts off with a musical interlude chapter ;)_

_Please Favorite/Follow/Review if you like the story! Let me know if I'm doing ok or if this is piss-poor and I need to shape up :P As always, big thanks to both of my Beta readers!_

_-Midnight_


	19. The Story - Harry's Interlude

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. The song "The Story" is the intellectual property of Brandi Carlile, lyrics written by Phil Hanseroth._

_Another musical interlude chapter! As with the last interlude, I suggest playing the song while you read this chapter. The original is amazing, and there are great covers on Youtube as well!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 19 - "The Story" - Harry's Interlude**

_POV: Harry_

""_All of these lines across my face_

_Tell you the story of who I am_

_So many stories of where I've been_

_And how I got to where I am.""_

Harry awoke the next morning on his own and felt the warmth of the sun across the side of his face. He smiled as he breathed in deeply and smelled flowers. Without opening his eyes, he could tell that Ginny had tossed and turned a little bit overnight, but she was still there under his arm.

""_But these stories don't mean anything_

_When you've got no one to tell them to_

_It's true... I was made for you.""_

His eyes opened slowly and he blinked a few times to clear as much of the fuzzy image in front of him. Without his glasses, Harry was as blind as a bat but somehow he could see Ginny as clear as day. She was lying on her side, facing him and he couldn't help but smile at the image in front of him. Ginny looked so peaceful, a stark contrast to only a few hours before when she had been in the midst of recounting her nightmare to him.

""_I climbed across the mountain tops_

_Swam all across the ocean blue_

_I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules_

_But baby I broke them all for you.""_

Harry had lost count of the number of times over the past year that he had dreamt and wished to be in the very same spot that he was now. During his hunt for the remaining Horcruxes, it seemed like the only thing that kept him going was the thought of finally being able to be with Ginny. She was his constant companion in spirit and always on his mind.

""_Because even when I was flat broke_

_You made me feel like a million bucks_

_You do and I was made for you.""_

Carefully, he shifted and propped himself up on his elbow without making the bed they shared move too much. He didn't want to wake her just yet. The sight in front of him was just too beautiful to ignore and he wanted to burn that image into his mind forever. The little rays of light coming through the window blinds danced across Ginny's freckled face like it was a dance floor, and Harry found a smile crossing his face as he watched her sleep.

""_You see the smile that's on my mouth_

_It's hiding the words that don't come out_

_And all of the friends who think that I'm blessed_

_They don't know my head is a mess.""_

Harry felt so bloody lucky to be able to be there in that moment. A year ago he thought there would be no chance of him surviving his eventual encounter with Voldemort. _Love,_ he thought to himself. That was what had brought him through the last seven years. His mother's love, his love for his closest friends and family, his love for Ginny, and now the love she had for him.

""_No, they don't know who I really am_

_And they don't know what I've been through like you do_

_And I was made for you…""_

The realization that she was the one who kept him glued together both emotionally and now physically made his heart swell. A single tear dropped from his eye as he watched her slender frame rise and fall ever so slightly as she breathed in and out. He had felt this way many times in the past year or more, but this time it was different.

""_All of these lines across my face_

_Tell you the story of who I am_

_So many stories of where I've been_

_And how I got to where I am.""_

This time, this morning, Harry knew that before another year passed them by he would be proposing to Ginny.

""_But these stories don't mean anything_

_When you've got no one to tell them to_

_It's true... I was made for you.""_

He smiled as he looked over at his love, finally lifting the arm that had been around her all night long. Softly, he tucked the loose strands of her red hair back behind her ear and let his fingers caress her soft cheek. She stirred a bit at his touch, and though she wasn't awake yet, a small smile crept onto her face.

Harry leaned over and kissed her gently. "Good morning love…"

""_Oh yeah, well it's true... _

_that I was made for you…""_

* * *

_Ok, so another jolt of musical inspiration hit as I was starting to write Ginny's birthday, so this interlude became it's own chapter. Tune in next time for what happens on our red-headed heroine's 17th birthday!_

_Favorite/Follow/Review, you know the drill. A million thanks to my Beta readers for their help!_

_-Midnight_


	20. Ginny's Birthday

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_(The final birthday scene can be found in chapter 3 of Snippets, the rated M companion to this story which you can find on my profile page.)_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 20 - Ginny's Birthday **

Harry smiled as he looked over at his love, finally lifting the arm that had been around her all night long. Softly, he tucked the loose strands of her red hair back behind her ear and let his fingers caress her soft cheek. Ginny stirred a bit at his touch, and though she wasn't awake yet, a small smile crept onto her face.

He leaned over and kissed her gently. "Good morning love…"

Ginny moaned a tiny bit as their lips parted, shifting around as if she were stretching a bit. "Fifteen more minutes?..."

Grinning at her sweet mumbling and the way her face was scrunching up, he lightly brushed the tip of her nose with one of his fingers. "Whatever the birthday girl wants, but that's fifteen minutes longer before you can use magic outside of school."

Her bright brown eyes snapped open and she gasped a little before pushing herself up into a almost sitting position. She grabbed for her wand on the bedside table, knocking Harry's glasses off in the process. Waving her wand around she made the window blinds slide up and down a few times and changing the color of her wallpaper to a light gold before levitating the glasses up and into Harry's hand.

Harry grinned and grabbed her in a big bear hug after his glasses were on. "Happy Birthday Ginny!"

She broke up the grin on her face to kiss her boyfriend on the lips. "Thank you Harry. I've been waiting for today for a long time."

He snickered. "Let me guess, seventeen years right?"

She scowled and pushed Harry backwards playfully. "You're a prat, Harry. An adorable prat mind you."

Harry just grinned and leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. "How are you feeling?"

Memories of the previous night came back to her for a moment before she mentally pushed them away. "Better," she said with a true smile on her face as she looked into his eyes. "I guess I needed to get all of that off my mind."

Harry took her hand in his and squeezed it. "I'm here whenever you want to talk, okay?"

Ginny just nodded and kissed him back quickly. "Okay love. How about we get dressed and down to breakfast," she asked as she pushed the blanket away and headed for the bathroom.

Harry followed her out of bed and smiled. "I was just about to say the same thing. The smells from the kitchen have been amazing all morning."

The bright brown eyes looked back at him through the bathroom mirror above her sink. "How long have you been up?" she asked.

A little bit of red crept up onto Harry's cheeks. "A little bit. I was watching you sleep for a while and doing some thinking."

She smiled back at him. "Sickle for your thoughts, Harry?"

Harry didn't quite want to tell her exactly what he had been thinking about, so he came up with something else. A knowing smile crossed his face. "Just about how surprised you might be at what I've got planned for you today."

He was pulling on some comfortable shorts as she walked into the room to get changed for the morning too. Ginny was peeling off the tank top she had slept in, and even though she had her back turned to him, Harry was glad that he had just covered up his growing bulge.

"Oooh, do I get a hint?" she asked playfully, with a little giddy tone in her voice.

Harry just shook his head. "Not a one. Well, maybe I'll give you one later but for now it's more fun for me to watch you squirm as you wonder." A grin crossed his face as he dodged the rolled up pair of socks that she had thrown at him.

She blew a raspberry between her lips at him, then smiled. "What did Dad want to talk with you about last night?"

He smirked, again not wanting to tell her everything they had discussed. "Ermm, essentially he just gave me 'the talk'. I think it was a bit awkward for him, he probably wasn't able to use the 'stern' father speech he had been practicing for your eventual boyfriends."

Ginny giggled. "I'm sure it was strange for him, seeing as how you're pretty much family already." Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she checked herself in the mirror before taking his hand and pushing aside the already opened door to go downstairs.

There was a loud "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in the kitchen as Harry followed Ginny in. Mrs. Weasley met her daughter before she could sit down and gave her an especially long hug. As soon as she let her go, she held Ginny by the shoulders and regarded her carefully. Ginny just nodded a few times.

"I'm fine Mum, really."

Mrs. Weasley looked to Harry for confirmation, and when he nodded as well she let Ginny go and the pair of them took a seat at the table. Everyone was there except for Bill and Fleur, but Mrs. Weasley assured them they would be by later for the lunch celebration. Upon hearing it was going to be another lunch party, Ginny looked at Harry with a look on her face.

Harry just grinned and started filling his plate with bacon and eggs. "My lips are sealed Gin'. How about you crack open those presents?" he said, pointing to the end of the table where there was a pile of brightly wrapped gifts.

As was the tradition in the Weasley household when someone came of age, Ginny first opened the present from her parents. Inside was a beautiful watch, made of silver and much slimmer than the ones her brothers received. Ginny got up and hugged both of her parents in turn before returning to her seat.

Charlie's present was a pair of Quidditch gloves like Harry had gotten. "There's a charm on these though," he said. "If someone's bothering you and won't let up - you can either give them a shove and they'll fly a few feet back, or you can slap them and it'll leave a nice mark for a few hours."

Ron grinned. "Well, between that and her Bat-Bogey Hex, no one will want to get on the wrong side of the famous Ginny temper."

Everyone had a good laugh at that. Ron and George's joint present to her was a big box of products from the store, including all her favorite WonderWitch items. "I know you're one of the Head students this year and all, but give Filch hell," George said with a grin.

Bill and Fleur had sent their gift ahead of time, and Ginny opened a large box of Honeydukes chocolates and a package of three dresses, each in a different color. Percy had gotten her a book she hadn't read yet about the history of the Holyhead Harpies. Hermione gave Ginny a school planner like the one Harry had gotten along with a very nice self-inking quill.

There was one final gift on the table, and it was Harry's. Ginny opened the purple wrapping paper slowly after removing the orange bow. Harry held his breath as she opened the box and removed the charm bracelet. She looked at the bracelet for a moment before smiling wide and leaning over to give Harry a hug.

"It's beautiful Harry!"

Harry was all smiles, and he got approving nods from everyone at the table. Pointing to the box, he spoke up. "I bought a few charms for you to add to it. There's a small Quaffle, a number 17, a heart and a letter F," he said as he attached the bracelet to her wrist and carefully linked the charms on. He was worried that the F would upset Ginny or everyone else around the table, but as he looked around he saw smiles from everyone.

There were small tears forming in Ginny's eyes before she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you Harry, it's perfect."

She stayed right up against Harry's side as they all finished their breakfast. After the rush of people leaving for work ended, Mrs. Weasley turned to the four friends. "Any plans for before the late lunch?"

Harry nodded. "I thought we would all take Ginny for her Apparition test, and then walk around Diagon Alley."

Ginny had a grin on her face. "I had forgotten about the test… you're brilliant Harry!"

He just shook his head and grinned. "Hermione's idea, but I'll take the compliment anyways."

They all laughed as they made their way upstairs to get ready to go.

* * *

Two hours later Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron all walked through the brick wall portal into Diagon Alley. They were all surprised to see the number of shoppers there after the fire a few days before, but were glad things were quickly getting back to normal.

Hermione and Ron went off on their own for a little bit, leaving Harry and Ginny walking down the street holding hands.

"Anywhere in particular you want to stop?" Harry asked.

Ginny just shook her head. "Not really, though I'm sure you have some ideas since you wanted to come here," she said with a grin on her face.

"I did, actually," he said as he led her down the street to the Magical Menagerie. Ginny didn't realize which store they were in until they were inside and she looked up to him, puzzled.

Harry just smiled. "Well, I heard that your Pygmy Puff didn't quite make it through the past year, so I want to get you a new pet."

She paused and looked around. "Harry, you don't have to do that. You've already given me a nice present."

"And there's more of them to come. Let's take a look around and see what catches your eye, okay? Don't worry about getting an owl, either. You can use Enid whenever you want."

Ginny had that wild look in her eyes and stared at him. Harry just stared back, he wasn't going to back down from this. Finally, Ginny leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "Okay Harry I'll look around."

Grinning, he took her hand again and they walked around the store and looked at all the creatures. They were mindful of the pets that were allowed at Hogwarts, and with Harry having a new owl their attention quickly settled on one wall of the store where there was a glassed in enclosure where four kittens were running around chasing each other.

The store clerk walked over to them and watched the playful kittens as well. "They're all about four months old, and contrary to what you're seeing now they are all quite friendly and love sitting in laps."

Harry nodded to the clerk and noticed that Ginny had her eyes on one of the kittens that was currently sipping from a water bowl. It was a beautiful light grey Siberian, with darker markings on the edges of it's ears, tail and forehead.

Ginny seemed to have tuned everything out as she looked at the kitten. Both the clerk and Harry grinned at each other, and Harry asked quietly if the clerk could take the adorable animal out so she could play with it. It took a moment for Ginny to realize that the door had been opened and when the cat was placed in her arms, she froze for a moment.

A big grin splashed across her face when the kitten looked up at her and then stretched out in her arms. She started cooing at it and petting it softly, and Harry knew that they would be taking the kitten home.

As Ginny played with her new friend some more, Harry made his way over to the counter and settled up with the clerk. He also bought everything they would need for the cat, including a cage, bowls, food, a collar and a cushioned bed. As the clerk was placing Ginny's new pet in it's carrier, Ginny wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and pressed a fiery kiss to his lips. "Thank you love, she's absolutely beautiful."

Harry smiled and bopped her nose with a finger. "Just like her owner."

They met up with their friends outside a few minutes later, and Hermione nearly squealed at the sight of the new pet. "Crookshanks will have a friend now in our dorms!"

As the two girls were fawning over the kitten, Ron took a step to Harry and lowered his voice. "Another cat eh? At least it looks better than the orange monster."

Harry chortled, knowing that Ron was actually starting to take a liking to Hermione's orange cat. "Yeah. Well this little one caught her eye right away so not only does it score me points, but it'll keep Crookshanks occupied some of the time too," he said with a knowing look at his best friend.

Ron snickered. "You have a point there, thanks. Ermm, Harry I know I haven't been all that excited or anything about you two, it's a bit strange for me that it's my little sister…"

Harry nodded and cut him off. "I know. I got the whole bit from your Dad last night. Don't worry, I won't do anything to hurt her, you know me. I fully expect that you're still going to beat the living crap out of me if I ever upset her."

Ron laughed. "Too right I will."

* * *

Ginny ended up sharing the spotlight at her birthday lunch; everyone quickly fell in love with the new kitten. Mrs. Weasley was heard telling Fleur that she was already going to miss the 'lovebug' while Ginny was at school. Everyone offered names for Ginny's consideration, but nothing sounded right to her.

As they were all having pieces of the red velvet cake that Mrs. Weasley had made in the shape of a Quaffle, Harry cleared his throat.

"Ermm, I have one more gift for Ginny…" he said and then whistled loudly. From the open window in Ginny's room Enid flew down with a large rectangular package. Ginny looked at Harry for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. Harry only smiled as he stroked his owl's back before it flew off again.

Everyone was anxious to see what it was, and the way everyone was inching over got Mrs. Weasley laughing. "Oh go on and show us already!"

Ginny grinned and unwrapped the last bit. She pulled out a poster of the current Holyhead Harpies team and turned it around to show everyone. Harry grinned as everyone wondered what was going on.

"Guess they fell to the bottom of the wrapping. Feel around inside there Gin'."

She reached her hand into the papers and felt around before she brought out two yellow slips of parchment. A little shriek was heard before she nearly jumped into Harry's lap right there at the table to hug him. Ron took the slips out of her hand before they could be crushed in the hug and grinned. "Excellent! These are good seats too!"

Once Ginny had untangled herself from Harry, he told everyone that the two of them had tickets to that evening's pre-season game between the Holyhead Harpies and the Wimbourne Wasps.

"The game's at seven o'clock, but they have practice starting at five-thirty so if we're there early enough…"

"Let's go then!" Ginny interrupted, standing up and nearly knocking some plates over. Everyone was laughing at her eagerness.

Harry just grinned and tugged her hand to get her to sit back down. "The stadium isn't open until five Gin', how about we relax until then?"

Ginny sighed. "Alright alright, but I'll have you know that the next three hours are going to feel like days."

Mrs. Weasley grinned. "There's always the cleaning up!"

Her daughter looked horrified. "On my _birthday?_"

Everyone was laughing again, and for a few hours everything seemed right in the world.

* * *

Harry and a very excited Ginny apparated into a very misty clearing in the middle of a forest a few hours later. Even though she had never been to the stadium before, as a life-long fan of the Harpies Ginny knew that the entrance was through the side of a large hill to the west.

_Lead on, love,_ Harry said along with a mental grin. Even though he had been excited about seeing this game already, the level of enthusiasm he had gotten from Ginny the last couple hours was rubbing off on him immensely. He was extremely glad that his love was having a great day thus far.

As they approached the large hill, a witch wearing dark green robes appeared next to them. "Welcome to Holyhead Stadium! I apologize for not being here as you arrived, we're only just opening the stadium now."

Harry just grinned and pointed at Ginny. "Not a problem, really. 'Someone' here was just a little too excited and so we're early."

The elbow he got in his side was worth it as he chortled and the witch smiled knowingly. "If I could just see your tickets please?"

Once she had taken a look at the tickets Ginny was holding, she just nodded and motioned for them to go on. "There's a barrier here just like the one used at Platform Nine and Three Quarters. Once on the other side, just follow the ramp leading down and after a few minutes you'll find yourself in the stadium proper. Have a good time!"

They both thanked the witch and started up a fast walk through the dirt side of the hill. Ginny's level of excitement rose the further they walked through the lighted tunnel, until they stepped out onto a bridge between two raised spectator stands. While not as immense as the pitch they had been in for the Quidditch World Cup, it was still pretty vast and could easily hold up to 5,000 spectators in it's stands, which reminded Harry of the ones at Hogwarts.

Another witch in dark green robes approached them. "Welcome! If I could see your tickets I would be glad to show you to your seats..."

It was then that she noticed Harry and grinned. "Ah, pardon me. I didn't expect you two to be here so early. The Harpies are still getting ready in their locker room but should be out in a moment. Captain Jones wanted me to tell you that you are both welcome out on the field until the team is ready for practice."

Ginny was dumbfounded as she looked at Harry, who had a big smile on his face. _Harry, what have you gone and done...?_

_Like I said earlier love, I'm not through with all my surprises for the day yet._

The two of them followed the usher witch down a flight of stairs and through a gate that led them out onto the perfectly maintained field of grass. Ginny was in awe looking around at the sight that until now she'd only seen in pictures. She was imagining herself flying up above the pitch when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned on her heel to see someone she'd met before, and her favorite Quidditch player of all time. Holding back a little squeak, she smiled and spoke up. "Ms. Jones, it's nice to meet you again. I had a great time talking with you at that party of Professor Slughorn's."

Gwenog Jones smiled and leaned in to give Ginny a friendly hug. "Likewise, but please call me Gwen. I try to keep my joints loose and limber, and hearing such formality makes me feel old."

Ginny giggled and looked over at Harry, who seemed to be enjoying himself watching the two.

"I hear today's a special day, Happy 17th Ginny! I hope Mr. Potter here has been treating you right?"

"Oh, ermm, thanks M... Gwen. Yes, it's already been an amazing day. He's thoroughly spoiling me though."

Gwenog giggled. "As he should be!"

The rest of the Harpies made their way over to the trio and Gwen introduced them all before turning back to Ginny. "So I hear you're the new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain Ginny."

Ginny blushed and nodded. "Well, Co-Captain with Harry."

"Still, it's a big honor. Have you given any more thought to what we talked about at the party?"

The redhead shifted on her feet a bit. "To be honest I haven't, there's been a lot that's happened since then. It would be an amazing opportunity though."

Gwenog nodded. "Well, keep thinking about it for me. Ellen here is going to retire from the team at the end of this season, so we'll be looking for a new Chaser. We'll be at some of the Hogwarts games this year to scout too, so you'll have a few chances to impress."

Ginny just grinned and nodded. "I'll definitely be flying my best. Let's not waste any more of their time Harry, they need to get limbered up before the game," she said as she grabbed his hand and started to turn around, stopping only when she heard Gwenog giggle.

"Hey Ginny?" the older witch asked.

"Yes?"

One of the team's Beaters tossed a Firebolt over to her. "Come fly with us for a bit. Consider it an early try-out."

It looked as if Ginny's eyes were going to pop out of her head. Once she remembered that she had to breathe, she looked over at Harry as if she was asking for permission.

Harry just grinned and let go of her hand, motioning her towards the players. "It's your birthday love, go have fun."

Ginny squealed and gave him a quick hug before joining the Harpies. The rest of the team were giving Ginny hugs and setting her up with some protective gear as Gwenog looked over at Harry and winked. Harry gave a discreet thumbs up and mouthed a 'Thank You' before heading back across the pitch and up into the viewing stand at the center line where they had their seats.

He watched for the next hour and a bit as the Harpies put Ginny through one of their regular warm ups. Her red hair made it easy for him to follow her movements, and he could tell that her flying abilities were right on par with the rest of the team. When the Quaffle was released, Ginny dove for it along with the other three Chasers and Harry wasn't surprised when she came out of the blur of green robes intact and with the Quaffle in hand.

The other Chasers followed right behind her as Ginny sped towards the goal posts, but stopped short in wonder as the 7th year school team player faked their Keeper out and managed to score a goal.

Harry felt a surge of happiness coming from Ginny and although he wanted to send a congratulations through their connection, he decided not to intrude on her tryout and fun.

The stadium started to fill up while the Harpies were practicing, and the opposing team soon made their appearance on the field and started warming up on the other side. After a few more minutes, the Harpies descended onto the grass and huddled together as they all talked to Ginny. Harry could see quite a few hugs and pats on her back before she made her way across the field and up to their seats.

It took a while for Ginny to get there, but when she did Harry was enveloped by a giant hug. They were both grinning as they pulled apart and she settled into the seat next to him. Knowing that she had to have worked up a thirst, Harry reached down under his seat to grab two chilled butterbeers from the six pack he had bought and handed her one after popping the top off.

"How was it Gin'?"

"Merlin Harry, it was _amazing!_ They're all wicked talented, and they were impressed. By _me!_ Gwen says that if I do well at this year's matches, I'm pretty much a lock for the team next year. She was going on about not even looking for anyone else!"

"Well, no new news there. Everyone's always been amazed at how you play love. Bloody fantastic news!" he said with a grin, leaning over to kiss her.

The wild look was back in her eyes as she sipped her drink. "Harry, did you arrange all that?"

He shook his head truthfully. "I only asked to see if you could meet them before the game, that whole practice bit was all Gwen."

Ginny looked at him as if she were trying to tell if he was lying to her or not.

Harry just smiled and crossed an X over his heart. "Wizard's honor Gin', you got that all on your own amazing talents."

A grin crossed her face as she lifted the arm rest in between their seats and leaned up against Harry to relax and watch the game.

* * *

The game ended after about 90 minutes when the Holyhead Seeker made an amazing catch of the Snitch not 30 feet above the stands where Harry and Ginny were sitting. The stadium turned multiple shades of green as Harpies supporters stood to applaud and shout, while the walls and seats themselves started glowing on their own. Ginny nearly shouted herself hoarse along with Harry, and they all watched as the seven flyers wearing green robes took a victory lap past the scoreboard that read 360-170 and around the pitch.

Teresa, the Seeker, peeled off from the group as they descended for the gate to the locker rooms and flew up into the stands. She stopped about 10 feet from where Harry and Ginny were still applauding, and tossed the now inert Snitch for Ginny to catch. Ginny could only grin as she looked at the snitch and back up to the Seeker.

"Happy Birthday!" Teresa said before flying up and making a few spins and loops on the way to the locker room.

Ginny received a couple more birthday wishes from the fans they had been sitting with, and slowly the stadium started to empty. When she rose to follow them Harry just grinned and grabbed her hand.

"We're not done here yet love," he said with a sparkle in his eyes.

Before Ginny could ask what he meant, the usher witch was back next to them. "Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter, if you would follow me please."

The two followed the older witch down the steps again and back out onto the field.

"Harry, what more could you have planned?" Ginny asked as they were walking towards the center of the pitch.

"Geez Ginny, you make it seem like I've been plotting behind your back for weeks... oh, drat. I have been, haven't I?" he answered in a playfully tone as they reached the large painted Harpies logo on the grass.

Ginny scowled at him and was about to make a retort when the usher that had been guiding them pulled out her wand and waved it a few times. A wooden table and two chairs appeared, followed by a tablecloth, candles, plates and utensils.

Harry led a very surprised Ginny to her seat, waiting for her to sit before adjusting her chair and sitting down himself. He could see a grin forming on her face. "Wow, Harry... how many favors did you have to ask to do this?"

He shrugged. "Not many really. Right now it's pretty hard for people to deny me anything, considering I just helped get rid of a certain Dark Lord."

Ginny just giggled and nudged his foot with her own as salads appeared on their plates and their glasses filled with wine.

* * *

Later that night they both Apparated back to the Burrow. Even though Ginny could apparate by herself now, she still preferred their usual arrangement of a side hug as Harry took her in a Side-Along. They let themselves in and found only Hermione and Ron awake and cuddling on a couch in the living room. Ginny quickly recounted the game and what happened before and after it, and showed off her team poster which was now signed by all seven players. Ron played with the Snitch for a while with a jealous face which made them all laugh before Ginny took it back.

They both made their way up the stairs, and as soon as the door was closed behind them Ginny muttered Locking and Silencing Charms at it. In one fluid move she set her wand down on the bedside table and pushed Harry onto the bed, straddling his lap and leaning in for a fiery kiss.

Both of them were grinning as they came up for air.

_Thank you for a wonderful day, Harry._

_You're very welcome Ginny. I had fun planning everything and watching you enjoy yourself all day._

Ginny kissed his nose. _I loved every bit of it, but for future reference not every birthday of mine has to be so elaborate._

_Well drat,_ Harry thought as he sent her a mental grin, _I guess I should cancel all the reservations I made in advance for next year._

* * *

_Hope you all enjoyed it! Please let me know what you think of the story so far by Favoriting/Following or leaving a review/PM! We're marching our way towards the return to Hogwarts, but there's a little bit more plot in my brain before we get there. _

_I've decided to throw a little contest: The first person to guess which character gets the next musical interlude chapter will get an early sneak peek of that chapter plus one more (either the one before or after, depending on how fast the guess comes in). You may only guess in reviews, and only one guess per review, per chapter starting with this one; just to make it fair!_

_As always, a big barrel-full of appreciation and thanks to my Beta readers for their hard work!_

_-Midnight_


	21. His Lordship

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 21 - His Lordship **

"We'll only be gone a few hours, so chances are that he'll sleep right through it all. If he does wake and get fussy there's a bottle in the diaper bag that you can give him, it's magically cooled right now but if you tilt it upside down and wait about a minute it'll warm up to the right temperature."

Harry nodded as he looked up from his four month old godson to Andromeda Tonks. She and Teddy had arrived a few minutes earlier so that the little one could have another long visit with his godfather. The whole thing had been planned by Ginny the previous day and she had enlisted the help of her mother to get Andromeda out and about for a relaxing spa afternoon.

Harry and Molly had both agreed to the youngest Weasley's plan. They all knew that Andie hadn't been more than a few rooms away from Teddy since the battle at Hogwarts, and taking care of a newborn alone was always stressful.

Molly Weasley smiled and put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "These three will be just fine Andie, don't you fret. I'm more worried about you at the moment. We're going to fix that right up with a girl's afternoon and you'll come back to little Teddy feeling refreshed. Besides," she said with a smile, "these two need some practice with babies, you know, for the future."

Harry blushed deeply as Ginny scowled.

"Mother!"

Andie grinned and laughed quietly, something that she hadn't really done in a long while. "Alright, alright. I can see that I'm being forced along here and I'll take the not so gentle nudges." She walked the few steps to Harry and leaned down to kiss Teddy on the forehead gently before she walked out the back door with Mrs. Weasley. Two loud popping noises were heard a moment later.

Harry took a few steps backwards and sat on the couch in front of the fireplace gently so he wouldn't wake Teddy. He had only gotten comfortable with how to hold the baby in the past few weeks of visiting him and it was one of his favorite things to do, especially now that his seven week recovery was over.

Unfortunately, he had to share this particular pastime.

Ginny sat down next to him on the couch and leaned against him. When Harry looked up, he could see the unspoken question in her eyes. He grinned and carefully transferred the infant into her waiting arms.

_You know, I'm worried that this may be turning into an addiction for you Ginny,_ he said jokingly through their soul-speak so that his voice wouldn't wake Teddy.

Ginny giggled in his mind. _Coming from the person who can't stop himself from checking on the baby every two minutes._

_Good point love. Can't blame me for that though, I'm on a mission when it comes to Teddy._

She nodded and kissed his shoulder. _I know. I love you for it though Harry. This little guy is going to grow up completely loved and spoiled isn't he._

_In true Marauder fashion to boot..._

Harry grew quiet, thinking about his father, godfather and Teddy's father. Ginny noticed this and sent a stream of good thoughts and feelings through their connection to raise his spirits. _Prongs, Padfoot and Moony are all proud of you Harry. I just know it._

He smiled and squeezed her knee. _I know. I'm sorry, I should really stop brooding and putting myself in dark holes all the time._

Ginny shook her head. _A sound idea, but I'm here for you whenever you get stuck._

Harry smiled and looked at the sight before him. Ginny was holding little Teddy in the crook of her arm securely as she rocked back and forth just a bit. Whenever her eyes looked down at him Harry could see a smile form and her eyes sparkle.

_You look good with a baby in your arms._

Ginny smiled and rested her head on his shoulder. _You do too, Mr. Potter._

They sat there for a while, enjoying their closeness. Both of them were thinking about their future, and both of them knew each other was thinking about it just by the emotions they were giving off. Ginny had had her eyes closed for a bit when she felt the tiniest of tugs on her shirt. Looking down she smiled as she saw Teddy awake and just looking up at her, not making a sound.

His hair turned the same bright red color as hers and this caught Harry's eye, waking him from his daydream.

"Well well, he sure isn't a fussy baby is he?" Harry asked with a grin on his face as he watched Ginny coo and play a game of 'catch the finger' with Teddy. He looked up at the normal clock, and seeing that it was getting close to one o'clock, he had an idea.

"Hey Gin', the Floo people said they'd be done connecting Hermione's parents to the Network before lunch right? Why don't we invite them over."

Ginny nodded and smiled up at him. "Good idea. Isla's been wanting to meet Teddy ever since we told her about him.

Harry nodded. "Right, and it'll get her away from her books for a while."

The two shared a knowing look. Harry had told Ginny about Hermione's worries and they had all agreed the previous week that they would help keep an eye on Isla and help her through any rough patches. The brunette girl was already like family to the both of them.

Standing, Harry went over to the fireplace and tossed a handful of Floo powder and said the call-sign that had been chosen for Hermione's parents' home. He grinned at the sight of Teddy's hair turning the same shade of emerald that the flames were, and turned to stick his head into the fire.

* * *

Hoped that he wasn't about to splinch his head from his body somehow, Harry endured the dizzy feeling and smiled when he felt the rushing stop. He recognized the living room from the night he and Ginny had stayed for dinner and looked around to see if he could spot anyone.

When no one came to investigate the sound of the incoming fire, Harry called out a few times. From his vantage point he could see a pair of feet on the stairs and then eventually a face as Hermione's little sister saw him. Isla froze for a bit at the sight in front of her.

"Harry?! Are you ok?"

He just grinned. "Perfectly find Isla, just decided to make a Floo call and see if they set your fireplace up right. Hermione around?"

Isla nodded, still looking like she was processing everything in her head. "She's in her room, I'll go get her."

It wasn't long before Hermione made her way downstairs and over to the fireplace. "So, the Floo works it looks like," she said.

Harry scowled. "You haven't tested it yet?"

There was a grin on the face of one of his best friends. "_Well,_ I was going to drop by the Burrow in a while…"

He smirked. "Guess I jumped the gun. Why don't you and Isla come over now; Mrs. Weasley and Andromeda are having an afternoon to themselves and we're watching Teddy."

From behind Hermione somewhere they heard a little squeal and Isla came into view. "The baby? What are we waiting for Hermione?"

Hermione and Harry just grinned as they looked at each other.

"Alright, we'll be over in a little bit. I'm just going to leave a note for Ron; he's supposed to be back from the store in an hour or so."

Harry nodded and pulled himself out of the connection. Shaking his head from the rush, he turned to look back at Ginny who now had Teddy in an almost sitting position on her knee and leaning against her.

The sight in front of him had him grinning from ear to ear. He started to walk over to give Ginny a kiss.

"Hold it right there," she said with a grin on her face. Pulling her wand out and pointing it at him, she muttered a quiet 'Scourgify!' which removed all the soot from his face and shoulders.

"Better, you may approach now."

Harry just grinned and leaned down to kiss the top of her head and mess up Teddy's hair, which caused the little one to giggle a bit.

* * *

A little while later, the four friends were chatting amongst themselves as Isla was sitting on the floor and playing with Teddy. She had been very nervous before, and hadn't even wanted to hold him for fear she would do something wrong but had soon gotten over it. A joke from Harry about having the babysitting job stolen from him caused her to give him a fierce glare, which sent all of them into stitches of laughter.

For once it wasn't Hermione that had her head in a book. Ginny was perusing through a copy of _Magical Maladies: Volume One_ that Mrs. Weasley had found in a trunk somewhere and making notes in the margins while talking to everyone. She was taking the offer to learn under Madame Pomfrey very seriously, and looked up at Ron when he asked her a question.

"Thinking of changing your career choice Gin-Gin?"

He got a glare for using the Weasley brother's pet name for her. "No, but I figure I can't play Quidditch forever can I? I was wondering what to do after and this seems as good a career as any. Besides," she said with a grin. "With the amount of time Harry has already spent in St. Mungo's and the medical wing, I figured I should at least know what to do if something happens again."

Ginny squealed as Harry leaned over and started tickling her sides. After Ron recovered from his laughing fit, he leaned back and looked to Harry. "She has a point mate. I can count on one hand the number of Quidditch matches that you haven't gotten injured in."

"I do hope that you'll refrain from injuries this year Harry," a deep voice said.

* * *

Everyone turned to see Mrs. Weasley smiling at them from the doorway, closely followed by Andromeda Tonks and Minister Shacklebolt; to their surprise.

Everyone stood to welcome Kingsley but he waved them all back to their seats and got comfortable in an armchair next to Harry. Andromeda spoke up as she bent down to pick up her grandson from his playmat on the floor. "Kingsley caught up to us in Diagon Alley and was wondering where he could find you today Harry, so we brought him back with us."

Harry raised an eyebrow. It seemed as if every time the Minister spoke with him something else was about to happen. He must have been thinking on it hard because he heard Ginny in his mind quickly.

_Whatever it is Harry, it'll be ok. I'm here,_ she said reassuringly.

Kingsley looked at Harry seriously. "I know you were hoping for a quiet year away from everything Harry, but it seems like things keep coming up don't they. I was just at a meeting of the Wizengamot and volunteered to come tell you what was discussed, so you didn't have to read about it in the paper tomorrow."

This got everyone's attention. Kingsley cleared his throat and continued. "I know that earlier this summer you received a letter from Gringott's and you met with the goblins there about your inheritances. What you may not have known is that there was also a letter sent to the Wizengamot."

"Harry, I know that you didn't grow up in the wizarding world so you may not be familiar with how the Wizengamot members are chosen. The number of members has always been in a state of flux due to members passing away or families merging. The past year's events have also taken it's toll on the members and because of that, the Wizengamot agreed last month that the best course of action was to ask for the goblins assistance in determining the current state of all the Noble houses in the country."

"Every head of a Noble House is due a seat on the Wizengamot by rights. Unfortunately Harry, your family's seat on the council was revoked in your great-grandfather's time because of politics and other blatantly false charges. As of this morning, those charges have been stricken and your family is once again a full Ancient and Noble House in the eyes of the Ministry."

There were a few small gasps around the room along with many smiles. Harry nodded slowly, trying to understand everything.

"By rights Harry, you now hold a seat on the Wizengamot. Pardon me, _two_ seats actually."

Seeing the confused look on Harry's face, Kingsley continued. "Because your godfather Sirius was the last Black of his line, when you received his inheritance you also received everything due the Ancient and Noble House of Black, including their seat on the council."

Harry shook his head. "That can't be right - there are two, no _four_ descendants of the Black line still alive."

He looked to Andromeda. "Mrs. Tonks, you and your sister are from the family, and by birth so are Teddy and Draco."

It was Andromeda's turn to shake her head. "We were born into the family but when Narcissa and I each married we joined our husband's Houses. I was disowned from the family when I married Ted."

Harry frowned, but looked back to Kingsley who was digging in his robes. From an inside pocket the Minister pulled out two small boxes and gave them to Harry. "Your family rings, Harry."

Ginny could feel her boyfriend's anxiety and shifted closer to him, putting a hand on his knee for support. When he looked over at her she nodded and smiled reassuringly.

Carefully, Harry opened the boxes and looked at them for a long moment. His own family ring had the Potter family coat of arms etched onto the top of an oval ruby set in the gold band. The other ring was silver with an piece of onyx, onto which there was an embossed letter "B".

After what seemed like hours, he looked up and into the faces that were looking back at him. He managed a weak smile. "Ermm, sorry everyone. This is a bit of a shock for me."

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Understandable dear. We're all here for you though."

Hermione and Ron nodded at that, giving their best friend looks of encouragement.

Harry took a deep breath. As he closed the two ring boxes, he looked back over to Kingsley. "Thank you for coming to tell me Kingsley. Ermm, this may be a stupid question but am I required to attend every meeting? That could be problematic with school and all."

Kingsley nodded. "It's not a requirement except for certain issues, like the election of a new Minister or the trial of a current member. Most members from a noble house will send another family member to take their seat if they cannot make it. Those that do not have any other family, as in your case, may have a trusted friend act as their proxy."

The wizard with the lightning scar nodded and sat back to think for a moment.

"Harry, I know that you are returning to Hogwarts on Sunday morning but the Wizengamot is meeting on Friday and we would like for you to attend." Kingsley suddenly looked very happy. "I think you'll want to attend as well. We've caught one of the culprits behind the attack in Knockturn Alley and the whole council will sit in judgement."

Everyone was grinning as Ron asked who it was. Hermione gasped and closed her eyes as Kingsley answered. "It was Travers."

Harry blinked a few times. "Travers? He escaped from the battle at Hogwarts then. He was the one at Gringott's, and the one who chased you and Hermione last summer when you all came to get me."

Hermione nodded quietly as Ron put an arm around her.

"That's him," Kingsley said proudly. "We followed some leads and a lucky break led to his capture last night."

Harry nodded as a grim look came across his face. "I will definitely be there for that. Pardon my language Mum, but that bastard needs to be locked away for good."

Mrs. Weasley nodded and didn't complain about his use of foul language.

* * *

Dinner that night included some very animated conversations. Everyone was talking about Travers' capture and what the afternoon's news meant for Harry. Once Mr. Weasley, Charlie and Percy were filled in, Percy quickly looked at Harry.

"I had a feeling this would eventually come up. Congratulations Lord Potter."

Harry looked puzzled, as did a few other people. Seeing all the looks, Percy explained.

"The Head of an Ancient and Noble House should always be addressed by their title, which in Harry's case is Lord Potter or Lord Black."

The scowl Percy received made him wince.

"Thank you Percy," Harry said as he looked down at his plate, "but I'm not going to have any of that here or from any of you. I'm just Harry, okay?" he asked, looking around at everyone and got nods back.

Sensing his irritation, Ginny placed her hand on top of Harry's. She looked up at Percy and gave him her own scowl. "I'll personally throw a Bat Bogey Hex at the next person who says it Harry," she said to lift his spirits.

Harry nodded and put a fake smile on for everyone. While everyone went back to their meal, Harry just managed to push the rest of his food around on his plate before quietly excusing himself for some fresh air.

Walking outside and stopping in the middle of the garden, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. There was a light breeze and he let himself get lost in it, pretending to float away with the wind like a leaf.

Even though he was out among plants, he was able to pick out one particular scent of flowers from behind him.

_Come to check up on me love?_

He felt Ginny's arms wrap around him from behind, tucking in under his own arms and coming to rest on his belt buckle. The small smile on his face was genuine as Ginny lowered her chin onto his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his neck just under his right ear.

_I could tell you've been having a rough evening Harry. Want to talk about it?_

Harry was about to shrug and brush off his thoughts as being silly when he heard Ginny sigh in his ear.

_Your feelings are never silly, not to me._

Ginny unwrapped herself from him and took his hand in hers, leading him down the path out of the garden and towards the tree line. Both were quiet until they found one of their favorite spots just inside the woodline and sat down to lean against the tree. Ginny pressed up against him and took his hands in hers.

_Ok Mr. Potter,_ she said warmly as she looked at him. _Tell me, what's going on in your head?_

Harry sighed. _Honestly? I have no idea Gin'. There's just so much up here that I don't even know where to start. So much for the peaceful and quiet life I was hoping for._

He tilted his head back to bang against the tree trunk. _I never wanted all of this Ginny, not the fame or the titles. I didn't even need the money really. All I ever wanted was a home, with people who cared about me. I know I have that now, but all these other things bollocksed it up._

Ginny wiped away the tear that was running down his face with her thumb before pressing a kiss to his cheek. _You're right love. You do have a home now, and many people who care about you. Everyone will help you with this, so don't fret over it._

She nuzzled into his shoulder. _And you have me, Harry. Wherever we end up in the future with work and responsibilities, we'll be home as long as we're together. I know you don't want to deal with all the publicity and politics, but I'm going to be there right next to you every step of the way, okay? We'll do this together._

Harry nodded and wrapped his arm around his best friend, trying to relax and take his mind off everything but finding he couldn't. All that he had been thinking about was still flying around in his mind, seemingly getting faster and faster. Just when he was starting to feel overwhelmed he felt a warmth in his mind, almost as if there was a second presence there.

_Lean on me Harry,_ he heard Ginny say. It didn't sound like her normal voice or soul-speak, it was more quiet and echoing. There was a faint sound just on the range of his hearing, like a beating heart. _Just let it all go._

Listening to her, Harry relaxed and let the walls that he had built in his mind around his feelings and thoughts break down. It was almost like a daydream, and he felt himself letting go and falling into the warmth.

His eyes popped open as he felt his mind empty out. Harry felt a total calm wash over him, and as he looked over at Ginny he noticed her eyes were closed in concentration. He was surprised to see a faint golden glow surrounding them, which faded into nothing as she opened her eyes. A smile crossed her face.

"Feeling better?"

Still somewhat amazed, Harry nodded. "Yeah.. what was that? It felt completely different than anything we've done before, like inside of my heart instead of my mind."

The smile on her face grew wider. "That's what I felt as well, don't know how it happened though. I was thinking about what I could do to help you clear your head and all of a sudden there I was."

"Some undiscovered part of our bond, I'm assuming," Harry said thoughtfully.

Ginny nodded and leaned up a bit to kiss the point of his chin. "Whatever it was, I'm glad that I was able to pull you out of that cesspool of negative thoughts. I don't like seeing you like that love."

"I'm sorry Sugar Quill, I'll try not to let it happen again."

She was in a fit of giggles at the name. "Sorry love, but I'm going to have to veto that name as well."

Harry stuck his tongue out. "Alright, I'll keep thinking. I may just have to use Lady Potter eventually then."

Ginny paused and looked at him. "Lady Potter?"

"Well, if I'm a Lord that would make you a Lady wouldn't it?" he asked in all seriousness.

Those bright brown eyes connected directly with his. "Only if..." she said quietly, trailing off.

Harry nodded. "Yes. I wasn't just saying it earlier when I mentioned that you looked good with a baby in your arms. I was imagining what that would be like for the the both of us, in our future. You're all that I need love, and someday I would be honored to call you Lady or Mrs. Potter."

It was his turn to wipe a tear from her cheek. "Is that a promise Mr. Potter?" she asked quietly.

Looking around, Harry found a particularly long blade of grass and plucked it from the ground. He turned and wrapped it around Ginny's ring finger, tying it in a knot at the top. "I promise, Ginny."

They both looked at the impromptu ring with smiles, until they both started chuckling.

"I'll have to get something more permanent than grass..." Harry mused out loud.

Ginny nudged him playfully before taking out her wand and transfiguring the grass so that it turned more solid. "For now though, it's just perfect love."

They leaned into a kiss that seemed to last for hours, a very loving and tender one compared to the heated snogs they'd had previously. Eventually they decided to get back inside, Harry wanting to apologize a bit for leaving everyone like he did.

As they crossed back into the garden, Ginny just shook her head. "They understand Harry, there's nothing to apologize for."

Before Harry could respond they heard a loud popping noise and looked ahead to see a very frazzled Angelina standing at the back door to the Burrow. It was dark, but the light from the windows was enough to see that she was crying.

They both rushed over to their friend, but Ginny reached her first.

"Angelina, what's wrong?"

The older girl turned to the both of them. "Oh thank Merlin you all are home..." she said with a large sniffle. "I need help... it's George."

* * *

_Cliffhanger! Sorry guys, but its the perfect place to stop. Find out what's wrong with George next time. There'll also be a scene with two characters I haven't written much of yet, and Hermione/Ron get a scene too ;)_

_As always, thanks to my Beta readers! Please Favorite, Follow and Review if you liked the chapter!_

_-Midnight_


	22. A Weasley Kind of Day

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_(Edit: The scene at the end of this chapter between Hermione and Ron has been moved to Snippets, the companion story to Post Script which can be found through my profile.)_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 22 - A Weasley Kind of Day **

_...continued from previous chapter_

As Harry and Ginny were walking back, they heard a loud popping noise and looked ahead to see a very frazzled Angelina standing at the back door to the Burrow. It was dark, but the light from the windows was enough to see that she was crying.

They both rushed over to their friend, but Ginny reached her first.

"Angelina, what's wrong?"

The older girl turned to the both of them. "Oh thank Merlin you all are home..." she said with a large sniffle. "I need help... it's George."

* * *

_Twenty minutes earlier…_

With everyone out of the store and the front door locked shut, Angelina took a moment to sigh loudly and look around at the mess before her. As much as she loved her job, this part of the day was her least favorite; the clean up. It took a while to get everything back to it's proper table or shelf, and the nature of some of the boxed up pranks made reorganizing by magical means nearly impossible. It didn't help that packages and boxes managed to 'grow legs' through the course of the day as people picked them up and put them back in the wrong spot. She smirked as the realized the hilarity in that; some of the items actually _did_ grow legs and walk around.

With everything back in it's spot, Angelina made her way into the back room and hung up her work robes. A frown crossed her face as she realized that George hadn't made his way downstairs from his apartment yet. It was his routine to spend part of the afternoon alone while he worked on correspondence or new ideas, but he always came down after the store closed to count the money in the register and secure it in the safe.

Seeing a bit of light peeking out from under the door at the top of the stairway, she went up and knocked on the door. "George?" she called out. "We're all closed up, are you busy?"

When she didn't hear anything back for nearly a full minute, she called out again. This time, she waited only a few moments before pushing the unlocked door open and peeking her head in. George wasn't anywhere in sight, and a quick check around told her that he wasn't there at all.

The frown on her face grew wider as she walked back down to the store proper. As she was emptying the register to lock away the money, a flying piece of parchment appeared next to her. Angelina recognized the green paper as a Diagon Dispatch; a way for the various business owners on the street to quickly communicate with each other and send messages. She had never opened one before, but seeing as George was missing she opened it and read it quickly.

She sighed loudly and shook her head before making her way out the front door, which she locked again behind her. A few minutes later, she walked through the back entrance of the Leaky Cauldron and looked around for Tom, who had been the source of the note. Finding him behind the bar, he just looked to her and pointed down to the very end of the counter.

George was sitting there by himself, sipping from a glass of Firewhiskey. There were at least a half dozen empty glasses and small Butterbeer bottles in front of him, and from his general disheveled look Angelina could tell he had been sitting there for quite a while.

She quietly took a seat next to him and watched him for a bit. George seemed to be either in a drunken stupor or lost in thought, because he didn't notice her presence or her calling his name until she laid a hand on his shoulder.

He looked over at her with a confused look on his face. "Wh..who's at the store?" he said with a light hiccup. "I th… thought it was just us two today."

Angelina nodded. "It's nearly 8 o'clock, I closed the store up."

George's eyes narrowed for a moment, then he looked to his watch. "Bloody hell, I lost a few hours…"

A kind smile crossed her face. "Are you ok George?"

Her question was evidently the wrong one. There was an awkward and tense pause before he looked away and slugged down the rest of the drink in his glass. "Yes, everything's bloody brilliant," he said in a harsh tone. Setting the glass down with a loud _clunk!_, he stood up suddenly and very badly, putting his arms out to the bar to support himself.

Angelina rose too and nearly got pushed back when she offered to help him.

"I'm _fine_," he said with slurred speech. "I've been walking by myself for my wh...ole life. I can do it alone, just like I've been doing everything _ALONE_ for weeks now."

When he looked at her Angelina didn't see the usual cheeriness on his face, instead she saw a scary image of his internal misery. The reason for his sudden mood swing was instantly apparent to her.

"George, you aren't alone…"

"I'm not?" he said with a scowl, interrupting her. "What, you think you can just walk in and replace him? Is th...at what your plan is? Brilliant as it seems to you, I can see through it."

He sat back down at the bar and poured himself another glass from the nearly empty bottle of Firewhiskey before turning his back and staring at the wall. "Leave me be, Angelina. I don't need you, or your help. I don't need anyone's _help_ at all!"

Angelina stood there in a stunned silence for a moment or two before she felt tears streaming down her face. It pained her to see him like this and she wanted to just envelope him in a hug, but she knew that it would only make the situation worse. She walked away quickly and stopped to talk to Tom for a moment before walking out of the pub and apparating away.

* * *

A teary-eyed Angelina finished sputtering out what had happened as Ginny led her to a couch and held her hand. All of the Weasley clan that had been there for dinner had listened to her, and Mr. Weasley looked around before speaking up.

"Alright. Charlie, Percy and Ron, come with me. We're going to go get George and bring him back here. Harry," he said after a pause to think, "could you go to Shell Cottage and let Bill know? Wait until he's ready and come to the Leaky Cauldron with him. If we're not there any more then just come back here okay?"

Harry nodded as he walked over to give Angelina's shoulder a squeeze, and kissed the top of Ginny's head before walking out with the rest of the men. Ron likewise gave a quick kiss to Hermione before all of the girls descended around Angelina.

"I'm sorry… I think I triggered this all..." she was saying quietly to Mrs. Weasley who had taken a seat next to her.

Molly shook her head. "You didn't do anything wrong dear. It wasn't your fault that he'd been drinking for a while was it? We've all been worried about George because he hadn't had a big breakdown yet. I'm sorry that he took it out on you."

Hermione nodded from where she was kneeling on the floor in front of the older girl. "Don't dwell on what he told you Ange'. From what you said he is completely drunk and not thinking straight. I _know_ that he has feelings for you."

Ginny squeezed Angelina's hand. "If I know George, and I should seeing as how he's my brother, his alcohol-induced thoughts are making him feel horrible for being happy with you when he just lost Fred."

Mrs. Weasley nodded in support of her daughter's thoughts, but Angelina could only sigh and look down at her knees.

The women had finally managed to get Angelina talking a bit when they heard many loud pops from the back door. They all stood and watched as Mr. Weasley, Bill and Charlie carried an unconscious George in and set him on the other couch. Percy and Harry walked in behind Ron, who was holding a bag of ice to his eye.

Hermione gasped and nearly bowled Percy over as she went to Ron. Ron just smiled and took the bag off his face to reveal a large black eye. The girls all looked at George and then back to Ron, waiting for an explanation.

Ron shrugged as he put the ice back on his face. "We were trying to talk some sense into him for a few minutes but he wouldn't listen to us. I guess I got a little too close to him because the next thing I knew I was down on the ground after he slugged me."

Mrs. Weasley was leaning over George, cringing at the rank smell of alcohol on his breath. "How did he…?" she asked quietly.

Harry smirked as he tried not to laugh. "Tripped over a chair and fell to the ground."

Mr. Weasley nodded. "He'll be out all night at least, especially with the amount he drank."

Molly looked worried. "Are you sure he doesn't need a mediwitch or Healer?"

Ginny went over to George and gingerly lifted his head to look around. "I think he'll be alright Mum, there's no welts or big bruises. He's taken harder hits to the head from a Bludger."

They all nodded and a collective sigh went through the room as everyone went quiet with their own thoughts. Eventually, Mrs. Weasley started shooing everyone off to do their own things before levitating George up the stairs to his room. Angelina followed her upstairs, and the two stayed there talking for a long while as they watched him sleep.

Hermione was still a little worried about Ron's black eye, though he was making jokes about keeping it for a few days as a 'battle trophy'. Ginny finally groaned when she had enough of her brother's comments and pointed her wand at him to clear up the dark bruising. They all looked at her with raised eyebrows.

Ginny just smirked and shrugged. "Just something I read in that book. Seemed like it would be a useful one to know around this family. Thanks for the practice Ron."

They four of them had a subdued laugh at that.

* * *

An hour or so later, two of the Weasley brothers apparated on top of the large work shed their father had claimed long ago to store his Muggle contraptions. The six pack of Butterbeers that clanked together as they sat down had crossed both their minds as ironic, but who were they to mess with their own tradition?

Bill and Charlie had always been close, and as the number of siblings grew they had always found the time to give everyone the slip and hide away just to relax and hang out. Neither of them could remember who had been the first to sneak a bottle of Butterbeer out of the cabinets, but now their get-togethers always included a few cold ones.

Neither of them spoke for the longest time, but they both knew where their thoughts were. George's earlier breakdown had brought the whole family into a quiet mood about Fred's death. Charlie poppedthe top off his second bottle and took a good swig before speaking up. "So, what's new with you?" he asked with a smirk.

Bill grinned. "It's been a while since we've done this hasn't it."

"Too right it has. I think the last time we were up here you were still having second thoughts about getting married. We've gotten behind."

"Well, fighting a war and worrying about everyone does tend to put a damper on things." Bill said darkly.

Charlie just nodded thoughtfully and took another swig. "So, Professor Weasley. Are you ready to start teaching next week? I still can't believe you're turning into one of _them._"

Bill just laughed, remembering a conversation they had had one time in the Gryffindor common room in which they both swore up and down they would never even think of being teachers.

"I can't believe it either, but a few years of sitting behind a desk and having a goblin as your supervisor would get you to change your mind too. I think it'll be great though. Fleur is excited about it too."

"Speaking of, you two going to move out of the Cottage? I'm calling dibs if you are."

They both laughed in the cool night air.

"Probably will at some point. Fleur's been looking at houses in Hogsmeade so we'd be closer together, otherwise the commute would be a pain. She's actually meeting with McGonagall soon to talk about setting up some informal French language classes."

"That's a good idea to be honest." Charlie said. "Kingsley's always ranting about how Fudge and Scrimgeour never hired any bilingual people. International relations are a giant cesspool right now."

"Well, if anyone can fix it, it's Kingsley."

"Fleur doesn't mind you staying late tonight?"

Bill just smiled. "Confidentially, I think she's glad I'm out of her hair for a bit. Not being in mortal peril certainly makes for some good times…"

Charlie chortled. "I get your drift William. Guess I need to start saving up some money for extra presents at Christmas…"

"Well, not this Christmas at least. I'm sure you'll hear Mum's shouting all the way to London when it does actually happen though."

The two grinned and toasted each other with their last bottles before Charlie continued.

"Think Harry and Ronniekins are up to teaching your first-years?"

Bill opened another bottle. "Charlie, if they can't teach a handful of firsties the basic spells and theories, we'll have to seriously doubt the stories they've told us about the past year."

"You've got me there."

They both watched as a few lights were turned off at the Burrow. Seeing Ron's window go dark, Bill smirked.

"I haven't been here all that much this summer, but unless I've lost my touch I do believe some of the sleeping arrangements here have been interesting."

Charlie grinned. "Astute as always. Ron, who we always thought would never land himself a bird until he was past thirty is spending his nights with Hermione, and little Gin-Gin has had Harry in her room every night since we all got back."

The raised eyebrow from Bill had Charlie chortling. "Yes, our parents know and no, there haven't been any more toads around than usual. Mum seems to have softened up a bit."

"Well, it's a good thing the four of them are getting the Head's quarters this year, otherwise the sleeping arrangements would either drive them up the wall, or the staff's with the constant demerits." A grin crossed his face. "I remember quite a few 'interesting' nights in there myself."

Charlie just shared a knowing look. "Just promise me you won't use your extensive knowledge of all the private spots and broom closets to embarrass all the kids."

"Only if I need some entertainment," Bill said with a wink.

After Charlie calmed down from his laugh, he looked over at the Burrow again and sighed. "What d'you think about George?"

The older brother shrugged. "Honestly, no idea. It's a good thing he finally broke down but hopefully he doesn't do another repeat performance of tonight. That was pretty ugly."

"Agreed. Hopefully Angelina can keep him busy."

Bill grinned. "You and Perce need to step up your games. All our younger siblings are going to be married before you two. Shameful, really." He accepted the punch from Charlie with a laugh.

* * *

Hours later, a very tired but still alert Angelina watched from her chair as George slept soundly next to her.

* * *

_Next time: Harry gets his seat(s), Travers gets his trial, and George gets an earful._

_Please Favorite/Follow and Review if you like the story so far, or even if you don't - I can handle it, promise! Big thanks to my Beta readers for their proofing and ideas!_

_-Midnight_


	23. The Trial of Travers

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all it's characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P Thank you for over 20,000 views!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 23 - The Trial of Travers **

"Alright there Harry?"

Harry's unfocused mind snapped back to reality as Kingsley called his name quietly next to him. He blushed a bit and finished adjusting the new robe he had been given as a member of the Wizengamot. "Yeah Kings.. I mean yes, Minister. Just getting over some nerves."

The older wizard clapped Harry on the back. "You'll do fine, don't worry. Just follow everyone else's lead and vote what you think is right."

Harry nodded as a gong played from somewhere in the next room and followed the Minister into the small chambers where the Wizengamot met and deliberated. It was a round room with three levels of tiered seating and benches in front of each place. Harry found his chair quickly; it was the only one with two plaques denoting his two titles.

Kingsley quickly brought the meeting to order and Harry looked around to notice that every single seat was taken for this important meeting.

Harry ignored most of the quick meeting, which included approval of the records from the last council meeting and an introduction of the new members. When the names and titles were called, Harry simply nodded his thanks at the polite applause and turned his attention back to Kingsley.

"Alright," the Minister said. "It's near one o'clock so no doubt the courtroom is nearly full to the brim with spectators. Because of the importance of this trial and the fact that he's either escaped or been released from prison three times now, I have asked for additional Auror presence inside and outside the courtroom for everyone's protection. We will hear the case from both sides, adjourn for any deliberations here and then vote on the accused's guilt and sentence."

Harry noticed all the nods around him and that Kingsley had brought up the term 'sentencing' before a vote had even been taken. He was sure that Travers wouldn't escape justice this time.

The entire Wizengamot filed out of the room and down a short corridor before entering the much larger Courtroom #8. The layout of the council member's chairs was exactly as it was in the previous chamber and before long everyone was in their place. Kingsley took his seat and to Harry's surprise Amos Diggory stepped up to the main podium. He hadn't realized that the man had been chosen as the Chief Warlock for the body and he scowled to himself. _Probably should have asked Kingsley more questions, _he thought to himself.

_Hi Harry,_ he heard in his mind. His spirits lifted as he realized that Ginny was somewhere in the room, watching.

_Ginny! You didn't tell me you were going to be here._

He felt her warm smile passed along their bond. _I wanted to surprise you love. _

_I'm glad you're here. It must have been hard to get a seat, I don't think another person could have fit._

_Standing room only right now, but Dad managed to get me a seat early. You look good down there, all official and important. Can I have your autograph afterwards?_ she asked, and he could hear her giggle in his mind.

_Gin! I'm going to get you for that…_

Amos Diggory cleared his throat and spoke out. "Bring in the accused."

From a side door in the lowered pit where the prosecution and defense tables were, two Aurors pushed Travers ahead of them and towards his seat. He was handcuffed at the wrists and ankles and was further chained to his seat when he sat. Harry took a good look at Travers and noticed that the man seemed subdued, always looking downwards.

"Hear ye, hear ye. This trial is now in session," Diggory intoned. "The Wizengamot meets to decide on the innocence or guilt of one Gordon Travers. The Accused is charged with being a Death Eater, multiple counts of murder, multiple counts of using the Unforgivable curses, multiple counts of escaping Azkaban, multiple counts of arson and reckless actions that threatened the general public."

"The Accused has refused representation for himself and will act as his own counsel." This brought a few whispers into the room as people talked with their neighbors, but it quickly died down. "The Wizengamot will call on witnesses to determine the facts around the previously mentioned charges and the Accused will be given the opportunity to cross-examine. Mr. Travers, you are hereby put on notice that any kind of threat to a witness, verbal or otherwise, will be cause enough for your removal from these chambers. Understood?"

Travers continued to sit in his chair and did not acknowledge a single word. Diggory stared the man down from his high position for close to a minute, before scowling. "Very well. The council will take your silence as an affirmative answer."

Looking down at the pieces of parchment, Diggory called his first witness, and it was here that Harry sort of tuned everyone out and just watched the proceedings. Ginny must have felt his anxiousness after a while.

_Bored already love?_

_A bit, but it's more being anxious I think. Every time I've been in one of these courtrooms, whether it was real or in a pensieve, things weren't exactly bright and shiny._

_I know Harry. Just look on the bright side of this though; you're helping to put this bastard away for good, after all he did. Things are looking better and better every day now, right?_

Harry smiled. _You're right. Thank you Gin', you always know what to say to cheer me up._

_Think nothing of it love. _

_Where are you by the way? I can't see you from where I am. _

_Right behind you, about 10 rows up. Don't turn to look though, it would be very un-Lord-like. _

He grinned at her joke and hoped that no one was watching; it would be hard to explain why. By the time Harry focused on the trial once more, three witnesses had finished giving testimonies bout Travers' involvement as a Death Eater; including his prison breakouts. Travers continued to ignore comments towards him and did not use his chances to cross examine.

Kingsley himself was called to the witness stand to testify about the night last summer when Travers' had been discovered as one of those who had attacked the group transporting Harry to safety.

After a short recess in which Harry had remained in his seat, the trial turned to more current events. Everyone in the courtroom listened to testimonies from various people who had been there that afternoon when Borgin & Burke's had been set on fire. Pictures were passed around to the members of the Wizengamot showing the wreckage of the building and the Dark Mark high in the sky. Harry took his copies but didn't look down at the them, he had been there and the image was still fresh in his memory.

Mr. Weasley was the next witness called, and he took everyone in the room through the events of that afternoon after the Aurors and members of the Department for Magical Law Enforcement arrived. Every piece of their investigation was laid out carefully, and Harry could see that everything had been thought through and presented so that there could be no doubt about Travers' involvement. Several other Death Eaters and other conspirators wanted for questioning were announced during the course of the fifteen minutes Arthur took to finish his presentation.

Travers still remained silent and kept looking down at his shoes.

Mr. Weasley was also questioned by members of the council about Mr. Borgin's attempt to inform on Travers and his associates, and it was quickly discovered that the store owner had been getting ready to provide irrefutable evidence as to the locations of where Voldemort's remaining supporters were in hiding.

Even though Harry had the right to ask questions, he didn't take the opportunity. He was satisfied with leaving the proper procedures to those that had been there longer, and he didn't want any more attention brought on himself. He found himself wishing that it were Sunday already, so that he could be relaxing on the Hogwarts Express with his three best friends on the way to school.

_Less than forty-eight hours Harry,_ he heard Ginny say through their soul-speak, _and two nights in bed with me. _

_That, my love, sounds wonderful. You're getting pretty good at reading my emotions._

Ginny grinned. _It helps that I knew you really well before the bond happened. _

Mr. Weasley was finally released as a witness and Mr. Diggory stood at the podium, looking down at Travers.

"That is all for the prosecution's case. Does the Accused wish to testify or call any witnesses?"

For the first time, Travers looked up from the ground and up to the council members. He took a long moment, looked around at the nearly full circle of his judges and cleared his throat before speaking.

"I have no witnesses, only this statement. It does not matter what you do to me. There are others who will take up the Dark Lord's visions, and more after those. You will _never_ find us all."

He took a pause to glare right at Diggory. "Everyone that votes against me today will rue this day. You will fear for your own lives and for those that you care for. I swear it! -"

The courtroom was in a frenzy by the time Diggory motioned to the Aurors behind Travers, and two Silencing spells hit him in the back cutting him off from saying anything further. The Chief Warlock banged his gavel on the podium for order in the courtroom, which took nearly five minutes. The mood of the room only seemed to quiet down when Diggory ordered Travers be taken away by the Aurors.

_Well, that was unexpected,_ Harry said darkly. He could tell Ginny had gotten a little spooked by the murderer's words. _You ok Gin'?_

_Yeah, _she said nervously. _I'm not worried that he's actually going to do anything, it was more of the way that he said it. Reminded me of how those Carrow twins used to speak in class._

Harry felt her mental shudder. _It's ok Gin'. Remember, they can't hurt you any more,_ he said as he sent the feeling of a warm hug across their connection.

Diggory quickly conferred with Kingsley before returning to the podium. "Now that order has been returned, this would be the time that the Wizengamot would normally retire to chambers. However, it would seem that most if not all of our number are ready to make their decision. So, I ask the Wizengamot this; is time for deliberation needed or requested? A simple show of hands to the affirmative, please."

Not a single member raised their hands.

"Very well. The members of this esteemed body will now cast their votes by the ballot provided."

Harry looked to the surface in front of him and removed the quill from it's inkpot. He quickly checked the boxes for 'Guilty' on both slips of paper he had been provided with, and watched as each piece of parchment folded itself once and then flew to the main podium where they sorted themselves out of sight.

After a few minutes, Diggory banged his gavel for silence once more.

"The Wizengamot has made it's decision. By a unanimous vote, the Accused is hereby found guilty of all charges and remanded into the custody of the Auror Department for transportation to Azkaban at the first opportunity. There Mr. Travers will serve a sentence of ten years in maximum security before he is to be turned over to the Department of Mysteries and thrown through the Veil and his wand snapped in half. So ordered. This trial is concluded and members of the Wizengamot dismissed until our next meeting. Good day everyone."

As Diggory stepped down from the podium the room exploded in a furious round of applause, and every spectator stood in appreciation of the unanimous vote. Harry could hear snippets of loud conversation as he walked out of the room with the other members.

"Amazing, the Wizengamot _never_ votes unanimously."

"It's good to see that they've gotten rid of all the corruption on the council."

* * *

About an hour later, Harry stepped out of the emerald flames in the fireplace at the Burrow and started to wipe off the soot from his sweater. Ginny had been waiting on the couch for him to get back and she nearly tackled him in a fierce hug.

"I'm proud of you love," she murmured into his chest after a long kiss.

Harry just smiled and enjoyed the hug after all the formality and coldness of the past few hours.

"What kept you so long?" she asked curiously. "I've been waiting ages for you."

"A bunch of my 'esteemed' peers wanted to have some quick chats that turned out being rather un-quick," he said rolling his eyes. "And no, no one asked me for my autograph."

Ginny giggled as he tickled her side. "Well at least your sense of humor didn't get left behind there. I'm glad to see you're all chipper again."

Before Harry could respond they heard someone clearing their throat, and turned to see George in the doorway.

"Ermm, sorry to barge in you two, but I wanted to apologize to the both of you for the other night," he said quietly. He had holed himself up in his room for the past day and a half after the scene he had caused, and this was the first either of them had seen.

Ginny walked over to him and regarded him for a moment before punching him on the shoulder. A smile crossed her face before she hugged him. "You're forgiven. Losing Fred has been tough on all of us; some days it's hard going on knowing I've lost a brother, but to lose a twin..." She squeezed him tight in her hug.

"Just promise us you won't go on another binger alright? _Talk_ to someone if you're having a hard time."

Harry had come up to the the both of them and nodded. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

George looked a bit sheepish. "Thanks, I think that little message is going to stick in my head now that I've heard it about a half dozen times."

Ginny grinned. "It better. How's Angelina?"

The older Weasley sighed. "I don't know what she sees in me. She's barmy; did you know she stayed awake that whole night watching me? After what I said to her?"

"Merlin, I'm cursed with idiot brothers..." Ginny sighed and shook her head. "She's in _love_ with you, nitwit! Any other girl would've left you to sit there and get more drunk, but she came to us. She watched you that whole night because she was worried."

George flopped onto a couch and stared at the ceiling. It took a few moments for him to collect his thoughts. "Nitwit indeed. I've had this thing for her for so long that I'd convinced myself that she couldn't have the same feelings back."

"I know the feeling," Harry said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around Ginny's waist and pulled her closer.

Ginny smiled at Harry before she looked back to her brother. "Have you talked with her since?"

George shook his head. "Ermm, I've kind of been avoiding her."

Harry had to hold Ginny back before she rushed at George.

"Prat! Go and talk with her! She's still head over heels for you, and you need someone to talk to and help you." She noticed the hesitation in him. "You know I have no problems with hexing you or leaving all sorts of things in your apartment..."

This brought a laugh to both of the boys. "Fair enough Gin-Gin," George said with a slightly bigger smile on his face. "I'll go ask her to dinner or something."

"Finally, someone's learning."

Harry could barely hold back a chortle. He loved when Ginny got fired up at something and that wild look appeared in her eyes. As he pressed a kiss to the back of her head, they all heard the fireplace roar to life.

All three of them watched the emerald flames, and in moments Mrs. Tonk's head appeared.

"Oh Thank Merlin," she said happily upon seeing them. "I was hoping you would be here Harry."

Harry took a step towards the fireplace. "What's the matter Andie?"

"I just got word that a dear friend of mine was rushed to St. Mungo's and I would like to be there, but it's no place for a baby..."

"I'll be right over," he said in an instant. "Give me a few minutes."

Andie nodded quickly, and then the flames vanished.

Harry pressed a quick kiss to Ginny's cheek before dashing up the stairs to change. A few moments later, he could feel her enter the room behind him.

"I'm sorry Gin', I know we were going to have a date tonight.."

"Shush," she said as she searched around for more comfortable pants. "This is Teddy we're talking about. Of course you're going to drop everything for him, I'd expect nothing less. Besides, we can still have our date tonight, there'll just be a third wheel."

Harry stopped and looked at her for a moment before a smile crossed his face. He finished pulling a new shirt over his head and crossed the room to kiss her while she was buttoning up a pair of white shorts.

"You are..." he sighed. "There really aren't any words to describe how much I love you."

Ginny smiled back at him and made sure her wand was tucked in her pocket before taking his hand. "Let's go then, my other boyfriend is waiting."

They were both still chuckling on the way down the stairs.

* * *

"Ow!"

Ginny was giggling so hard her sides started hurting. Harry just scowled at her as he carefully unwrapped Teddy's fingers from the tuft of hair his godson had grabbed. "He's a strong little bugger," Harry muttered as the baby gurgled.

"Yes, he is. Maybe he's trying to tell you you should get a trim," Ginny said as she ran her fingers through his unruly locks.

Harry grinned as he shifted Teddy to his other arm. "Must be a Weasley woman thing. I remember when your Mum was after Bill to cut his hair."

"Prat," she said with a grin on her face. "She's still after Bill to trim it, but I think Fleur likes it like that. Me, on the other hand, I like seeing who I'm snogging."

Harry laughed, and Teddy joined in with a gurgle and smile. "Alright, I can take the hint. It would probably be a good idea to trim down this mop before school starts. I'll ask Mum tomorrow."

"Why wait? I can do it here for you."

He looked at Ginny with a little surprise. "You know how to cut hair?"

Ginny jokingly sighed as if she was offended, and Harry couldn't help but grin as it sounded exactly like Hermione's sigh when Ron said something stupid. "Yes, Harry. I can cut hair, wash dishes, cook and knit, among other things. I'm thoroughly trained in all the womanly arts, even though I don't choose to show it all the time."

"_All_ the womanly arts, you say?"

That earned him a slap to the arm and Ginny covered Teddy's ears. "You're going to corrupt your godson!"

Teddy gurgled again and grinned widely, changing his hair from jet black to a Weasley red.

Harry just laughed. "Remus would've done the same. Besides, we have to get Teddy started early if me and him are going to carry on the Marauder legacy."

Ginny rolled her eyes and carefully lifted the baby out of Harry's arms. "Boys. Bring a chair into the den," she called out to him as she walked away. "I can do the trimming while he's on his playmat."

With Teddy playing happily on his back, reaching and kicking at the toys hanging over him, Harry sat in a chair nearby and cast a small shield charm around his neck to catch any falling strands of hair.

Ginny smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair again before taking her wand and slowly cutting with it. "I'm not going to take too much off love, just enough so that it's not all over your eyes and ears. I still want to be able to play with it, and pull on it too," she said mischievously.

A happy gurgle from Teddy had both of them laughing for a long time. When Ginny had finished her work, they both looked over and saw that the little one had flipped over to his stomach and was fast asleep, thumb in his mouth. Exchanging smiles, the two cleaned up after themselves before Harry gently picked Teddy up from the floor and brought him to his crib.

He found Ginny on the couch, legs tucked up under her and relaxing as he came out of the nursery a few minutes later. She had a smile on her face and held out her hand for him to sit down next to her. As soon as he did, she pulled him into a passionate kiss that lasted for quite a while.

Harry was grinning like a fool when they finally pulled apart. "What brought that on love?"

Ginny just smiled warmly. "I could feel how much love you have for the little one while you were putting him down for his nap, and it almost choked me up. What I sensed is the same love I feel from you when we're together." A small tear dropped out of her eye. "You are going to make an amazing father one day."

He pulled her into a side hug as they sat there on the couch and ran his hand up and down her arm. "I can't wait for that eventuality," he said quietly. "Especially since it'll be _our_ children. But I _am_ just a bit the jealous type; I don't want to have to share you with anyone for a few years still."

Ginny giggled and pecked his cheek. "Can't fault you for that."

They sat there for a while and talked, and Harry found himself idly running his fingers through her long red hair. Ginny smiled and summoned a brush from her bag and handed it to him. "Here, use this."

Harry looked at the brush for a moment before shrugging and scooting backwards a bit so he had some room. The brush began to slowly make its way through her hair, but it kept getting stuck in knots.

"You need to be a little more forceful with those." A smile came up on her face, underscoring her closed eyes. "Don't worry, you won't break me love."

Once her hair was all straightened and smoothed out, Harry couldn't resist leaning forward until his face was buried in her hair. As he kissed the back of her head he smelled the familiar aroma of flowers that he so loved.

Ginny giggled. "What _are_ you doing?"

"Breathing in heaven," Harry said with a serious tone though there was a smile on his face. "I could pick out your scent in an instant."

Turning to look at him, she made a face and smiled. "Would you braid my hair for me?"

"I dunno Gin'," he said with an anxious look on his face. "I'd probably mess it up."

"You goof! It's only hair; you can start over if you have to. You've seen me do it loads of times."

Harry had to nod and admit to that. "Alright, but what do I get in return?" he asked with a grin.

She had her own grin on her face as she turned to face away from him so he could get at her hair. "I'll refrain from hitting you with said braid, and perhaps give you a proper snogging?"

Harry pinched her leg. "Deal, Pixie Puff."

Ginny blew a raspberry and giggled. "Sorry, I'll have to veto that one as well."

Harry just chuckled and sighed. "I'll find one eventually…"

* * *

_Sigh… Will poor Harry ever find a "sweet" pet name for Ginny? Eventually yes, but you'll have to read on! Thank you for reading up unto this point for those that have; we're about to hit a massive point that will lead into this story's overarching plot. For those of you wondering, yes I will be splitting up the 19 years into multiple stories, not quite sure how many yet. We're still a long way from even finishing this first story ;)_

_Reviews and Favs/Follows are much appreciated, as are my Beta readers! Without them I'd be stuck in a cesspool of Wrackspurts and Blibbering Humdingers. _

_-Midnight_


	24. Homeward Bound

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 24 - Homeward Bound **

The sun that rose on the last day of summer vacation was a bright one; there were no clouds in the sky to block its rays from from hitting the windows of the Burrow. There were only two bedrooms with windows facing east and unfortunately one of those was Ginny's. A scowl crossed her face as she woke up, not wanting to open her eyes and be assaulted by the ray of light she felt on her face.

She shifted a bit and smiled upon feeling Harry's arm around her. Even though they had been sleeping in the same bed for almost three months now, she couldn't help but feel a sense of perfection and happiness each morning. Shifting slightly she snuggled into him, relishing the feeling of his skin on hers. Yawning quite fiercely, she got comfortable again and attempted to go back to sleep.

Fifteen minutes later she gave up and sighed. She had wanted to sleep in but her mind was just too full of thoughts. Very slowly she turned around to look at Harry and smiled. _He always looks so bloody peaceful when he's asleep,_ she thought to herself. A mischievous thought crossed her mind and a grin accompanied it. Using a lock of her own hair, she began to tickle his nose.

Harry unconsciously brushed his nose to stop the tickling and Ginny repeated the whole thing a few more times, trying to hold in her laughter. Eventually his eyes opened and he looked annoyed for a moment or two until he saw her.

_Ginnnnnyyy,_ he said in protest as he yawned. _Leave my poor nose alone._

She giggled audibly next to him. _Alright then._ The lock of hair moved and she started tickling his cheek.

Harry couldn't help but grin. _Two can play at this game,_ he said before reaching out and tickling her sides. Ginny squealed in protest and the two rolled around in the bed for a while trying to get back at each other until they ended up side by side and kissing.

The new kitten decided to join in on the fun then, and the two were involuntarily forced apart as they both received small headbutts. Ginny giggled as the ball of fur started licking her cheek and she lifted the kitten up above their heads. The kitten squirmed a bit and meowed a few times.

"Good morning little rascal," Harry said before yawning loudly and reaching for his glasses.

Ginny elbowed him. "Blythe is _not_ a rascal, she is a little lovebug. Yes you are!" she cooed before she set the kitten down and let her run off.

Harry chuckled as he sat up and stretched. "Just wait until she starts pouncing at you at random times. She seems to like playing that game with me."

Ginny pecked him on the cheek as she rolled out of the bed and into the adjoining bathroom. "She'll work her way out of all the kitten hyperactivity soon, and then we'll have a lovely lap cat."

"I hope so," Harry said just under his breath but he smiled nonetheless. Blythe was a gorgeous cat and Ginny was absolutely in love with her.

"So," he called out. "Did you have anything in mind for the last day of summer, love?"

Ginny came out of the bathroom and looked through her dresser drawers for a shirt. "Not really, aside from packing and the dinner Mum's planning for tonight. Why, did you?" she asked as she turned to him and smiled.

Harry shrugged a bit. "I've been debating the past few days about going somewhere, and I guess today's the last chance until we're back for Christmas break."

She looked at the expression on his face and frowned. "Where?"

"To see my parents," he said quietly before looking out the window.

Ginny crossed the room and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I think it's a great idea Harry. You haven't been back there since Christmas right?"

He nodded and sighed. "I've been meaning to go..."

"But you didn't want to go alone," she finished for him as he trailed off. Seeing his nod she squeezed him tighter through their hug and kissed his cheek. "Love, you should've asked before. Of course I'll go with you. You shouldn't have to go back there by yourself if you don't want to."

Letting him go with one more light kiss, she finished getting dressed and went to open her door. "We'll go right after breakfast."

Harry just smiled and took her hand as they walked down the stairs. "Thank you, my love."

* * *

The sun wasn't shining as brightly in Godric's Hollow as at the Burrow, but it was still a beautiful summer day as the two Apparated into existence near the kissing gate of the cemetery. After checking both ways to make sure there wasn't anyone in sight, Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak off of the two of them.

Ginny looked around for a few moments, taking in the small village around her since she had never been here. She took Harry's hand as she looked back at him with a smile, and together they made their way slowly through the graveyard. It took Harry a few moments to remember where his parents were but they were soon standing in front of the large tombstone.

Harry stood frozen for a moment, lost in his thoughts before taking the few steps forward and brushing some dirt off of the marker. He noticed that there were some flowers laying there, but they were starting to wither a bit. Taking out his wand to banish them, he found them disappearing in front of him.

Ginny tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned to look at her she handed him a bouquet of flowers with a vase that she had conjured. He smiled his thanks and set the vase right up against the tombstone, stooping down to run his hands over both of the engraved names. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her step back a bit.

_I'll let you be alone with them Harry. I shouldn't intrude,_ she said quietly in his mind. Harry had told her about his parents and as much as she admired them, it didn't seem right to her to assume she was welcome to join him just yet.

Harry turned, a sad look in his eyes. _You're not intruding Ginny, not at all. Please, I want… I need you here…_he said as he extended his hand to her.

She looked hesitant for a moment but then quietly made her way back towards him, taking his hand and interlacing their fingers before squeezing it.

Harry looked back at the tombstone and sighed. "Hi Mum, Dad," he said quietly.

Ginny must have felt that he was trying to gather enough confidence to speak more, because he felt her arms wrap around him. Together they took a few steps back and sat down on the grass, Harry leaning his head against her shoulder.

"Well, it's over. Voldemort's finally been taken care of for good, and everyone can move on with their lives." He looked over at the tombstone and shook his head, sighing. "I only wish that you could have been here to see it, this was as much your victory as anyone's. Thank you for helping me." His voice was very quiet now, so much so that Ginny could barely hear him.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed as a light breeze blew past.

"You gave your lives for me and I know that you're watching me from wherever you are, but I.. I miss you…" he said, voice cracking. "I think about you two every single day and when something big happens I miss you even more. You should have been there when I started Hogwarts, come seen me play Quidditch and helped me with the task Dumbledore left me."

His eyes were misting over as he sat up a bit straighter and wrapped his arm around Ginny. "I wish you were here to meet Ginny. We're very happy together and she's my other half, literally. I never thought anyone could give me a gift like the one you gave me all those years ago Mum, but she has."

As Harry took her hand to place it on his chest above his heart, Ginny felt her own eyes well up with tears. The words that he was speaking were beautiful and from deep within him.

"Dad, I think you'd like her too. Sirius told me quite a few stories about what you were like, and I can't help but wonder what sort of grief you'd be giving me right now because I found a redhead too."

Next to him, Ginny sniffled and let loose a short chuckle. A smile crossed her face and she looked over to him to see one on him as well.

"I know you'd both be telling me not to cry over losing you, but I can't help it. These tears are for you, but they're also for the future. A future you gave me, so thank you," he ended quietly.

They sat there for a little while, heads leaning against each other. Harry closed his eyes for a bit and listened to the sounds around them, losing himself in the wind. Ginny kept her eyes on the tombstone.

_Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Potter,_ she thought to herself, taking care not to say it in Harry's mind. _Thank you for giving me such an amazing person. It hurts that I'll never get to meet you, but I promise you that I will love your son and take care of him no matter what. For the longest time he didn't have a home but he does now, with my family and with me. I will give him the family that he's ached for for so long. If we're so lucky as to have children in the future, they'll be named after you, I promise you that._

After a while, Harry sighed out loud and smiled. "Thank you for coming with me," he said before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Ginny put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it. "You're very welcome love, anything for you."

They got up and left the graveyard, passing back through the gate. Their hands found their way together and fingers intertwined as they walked slowly down the streets. Part of Harry's mind must have been directing them because they eventually stopped in front of his family's home.

The house seemed to appear out of thin air, the Disillusionment Charm that was on it recognizing that someone with magic was near. Harry motioned for Ginny to touch the gate and the sign that he knew was there rose up out of the ground.

Ginny smiled as she read the engraved words and all the messages people had left. "I think it's brilliant that they did that."

"That's what I thought when we stopped by here before." Harry ran his hand along the gate and onto the fence in front of the walkway, pulling back as the gate opened slowly and the old, rusted metal screeched. The two looked at each other in surprise.

"I think it recognizes you Harry," Ginny said quietly. "It's your house, after all."

"Yeah…" he said thoughtfully. A thought crossed his mind. "I think I'd like to go inside," he said softly, looking to her.

A look of apprehension crossed her face for a moment. "If you're sure you can handle it love, I'll come with you."

Harry just nodded and she slipped her hand into his before they walked up the path past the overgrown grass and hedges. The outside of the house was overrun with dark ivy, but they could still see some brick underneath. At the door Harry looked around before running his hand over the wood of the door. When the door wouldn't open he tried the handle and felt a warm sensation pass through his hand, similar to when he had first held his wand at Ollivander's.

The door opened with a creak. Ginny followed close behind him as they crossed the threshold of the building, and Harry muttered a few spells quietly to detect any hexes or traps. After they were sure nothing horrible was waiting for them, they looked around the ground floor of the cottage. There was a small kitchen and living room and aside from a think layer of dust over everything, nothing looked too horribly disturbed or out of place, even with the gaping hole on the floor above.

Harry walked through each room, touching pieces of furniture as he explored his once home. Ginny followed behind him, knowing he wanted her near but still giving him a little space to himself. She smiled a little noticing a few toys strewn around here and there, imagining a one year old version of her boyfriend playing with them.

They eventually made their way up the the stairs, here they could see the disturbance of the backfired spell. The pictures on the hallway walls were either askew or down on the ground, and they could see the sun coming through the open doorway of what must've been Harry's bedroom. They went into the master bedroom first and Harry paused, looking around.

"Maybe we can find some of their things for you to take," Ginny said as she put her hand on his shoulder. "To remember them by."

Harry cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Their search of the room began and Harry went first to the closet. The clothes inside had been nice at one time, he noticed, but time and exposure to some of the elements had ruined most of them. As he went to inspect the bedside tables, Ginny stopped at the dresser and carefully picked up the fallen photo frames. Almost every frame in the room had shattered glass, so she was careful in removing pictures from them.

Harry came up behind her and smiled as he saw a large copy of their wedding photo. The photo album Hagrid had once made for him had one as well, but this one almost moved him to tears. Even though it was a stationary photo, the pose his parents had been caught in showed so much about them as they gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. Ginny gently set it down next to the other photos she had collected and a marriage certificate that had been hanging askew on the wall.

He helped her go through the drawers quickly, and between the two of them they found another photo album and a stack of letters tied together by a ribbon. Thumbing through a few Harry realized that they were love letters that his parents had written each other. There were a few rolled up letters as well on top of the dresser, which looked like letters that his mother had written to friends but never got the chance to send off. He also found two wand holsters in a drawer that were in good condition. Their differing sizes but matching style told Harry that they had been made especially for his parents.

Going through one last drawer, Ginny pushed aside a half dozen rolled up pairs of socks to find a small jewelry box. When she handed it to Harry, he just smiled and pushed it back towards her. "You can open it, love."

She hesitated a bit, but Harry just nodded his okay. The long box opened easily, and inside they found three sections. The top one spanned the length of the box and held a very fine and thin golden necklace with a heart charm hanging off the middle, encrusted with very tiny rubies. Another section held a bracelet; also encrusted with rubies. The last part held two dangling earrings with three rubies each.

Ginny gasped at the beautiful pieces she was holding, and looked up to catch Harry's eye but he was looking at the inscription on the inside of the lid.

_For my loving wife, on our first wedding anniversary._

"They're gorgeous," Ginny said quietly before closing the box and handing it to him.

Harry smiled and held the box for a moment before handing it back to her. "I want you to have them Gin,"

Her neck snapped over to look at him so quickly that he was sure she'd hurt it. "Harry, I can't take them… they were your mother's! Surely you want to keep them."

He just smiled and kissed her forehead. "What good are they going to do me stuck in a drawer or in a vault? I'd much rather see you wearing them, that would be the best way for me to remember the both of them."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something else but seeing the love in his eyes and how much it meant to him, she simply leaned into him and buried her face into his chest and hugged him. "Thank you," her muffled voice said quietly. Harry pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head before they pulled apart.

They didn't find anything else in the room, and as they stepped out into the hallway Harry sighed as he realized there was only one last room to go into.

Ginny noticed his tension. "Only if you really want to," she said, squeezing his hand.

"I think I have to," he said quietly. "To put it all behind me."

Harry pushed aside the partly opened door and they squinted for a bit in the sunlight until their eyes re-adjusted to the light level. The room was decorated and laid out just how he remembered from the few flashbacks he'd had, but there was a large section of the wall blown out. In the gentle breeze, he walked over to his childhood crib and looked in.

Ginny came up behind him as he pulled out two ceramic pieces; a half moon and a lion. Time had slowly peeled away at the paint on them, but they weren't broken or chipped like the others. "I remember these," he said softly. "They were hanging on the mobile above me every night." He held the two in his hands and smiled, recalling just a little bit of the song that the mobile played when it moved.

As Ginny came to stand next to him she felt something being kicked by her shoe, and she bent down to see what it was. Harry heard her gasp, and was about to ask if she was okay when she stood up quickly with something in her hand.

"Harry… is this?" she asked quietly.

He just stared at the wand in her hand for a moment before reaching out for it with his own shaky hand. The ceramic mobile pieces were put into a pocket as he dusted the wand off, a few tears running down his cheek. "My Mum's wand… this has to be it, I was told it was made of willow…"

Harry idly ran his fingers along the wand and felt a small tingling sensation as he did. He looked up at her suddenly with recognition in his eyes. "If this was still here this whole time,"

He didn't finish his sentence as he left the room quickly and thundered down the stairs. Ginny was stunned for a moment, but then followed him as she carried everything they had found.

"Harry, what is it?" she asked as she reached the ground floor. When she looked into the living room, she saw Harry reaching underneath a couch and pulling something out.

"I don't believe it…" he said softly before turning to show Ginny as she approached. He was holding another wand, this one made of Mahogany. "His is here too," he managed to choke out before the waterworks turned on of their own accord and he broke down.

Ginny quickly put everything she was carrying down on the couch and pulled Harry into her embrace, letting him cry into her shoulder and let out his anguish as she ran her hand down his back comfortingly.

Once he pulled himself together they both stood amid the dusty furniture and looked down at the two wands in his hands.

"It's hard to believe they were still here after all these years…" he said softly. "I thought they had been buried with my parents."

The comforting hand on his shoulder rubbed back and forth. "Maybe they couldn't find them before. I wouldn't blame whoever came for your parents for wanting to leave as soon as possible after what happened here."

Harry just nodded and slipped the wands into his pocket before taking out his own. "As much as I want to stay and look around some more, I don't know if I can handle many more surprises like this."

Ginny pressed a kiss to his forehead and picked up everything they had gathered. "Let's go home love."

He nodded and took a few things from her to lighten the load before they made their way to the front door. As Harry shut the door firmly behind him and looked around the messy, overgrown yard, he wondered if he'd ever muster up the courage to come back here again.

* * *

Later that evening with all their discoveries packed away in their school trunks with everything else, Harry and Ginny settled down to dinner in the garden along with the whole Weasley family. Mrs. Weasley had insisted that everyone be home for the special send-off dinner she had planned, and even invited the Grangers and Isla.

It took three long tables to make enough room for the dishes to sit on and everyone to sit around. The table creaked from all the weight on them as everyone ate heartily and had a merry time talking. George and Angelina were talking with Isla about their time at Hogwarts, with Hermione keeping an ear tuned to their conversation making sure George wouldn't say anything about secret passages or whatnot. Ron, Charlie and Percy were in their usual heated debate over Quidditch while the Granger and Weasley parents were paired off and chit chatting amongst themselves.

Harry and Bill were deep in discussions about Defense Against the Dark Arts; Bill promised that Harry would be getting the full lesson plans that he had drawn up early in the summer before the current arrangement had been made. Despite his earlier reservations about teaching a full class, Harry was now getting rather excited for it.

Ginny and Fleur were deep in a discussion about the possibility of French classes at Hogwarts. Fleur was speaking very passionately and quickly about how McGonagall was very interested in putting together a few introductory classes during the upcoming term. Every so often Ginny glanced over at Harry next to her, and the two shared a warm smile.

Once everyone had finished with dinner and dessert, quite a few of the Weasley's started giving looks up and down the table at Harry. Mrs. Weasley, never one to miss anything raised an eyebrow.

"Just what is going on?" she asked everyone.

Harry smiled and cleared his throat. "Well Mum, to tell you the truth we've all been planning something for the last few weeks to surprise you with." Seeing all the smiles around him and the puzzled look on Molly's face, he went on. "Each time I was in Diagon Alley this summer I kept hoping that Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour would be open, and when I found out that the Fortescue family was going to sell the store, I went and bought it."

Molly's eyes widened. "You bought a store? Whatever for?"

Harry grinned. "For you."

Everyone saw her reaction and laughed. George looked over at his mother and grinned. "Mum, we all absolutely love your cooking and the Alley needs a new place for people to stop and have tea or a snack while they shop."

Molly stared at everyone who chimed in their support. When Mr. Weasley smiled and squeezed her hand, she squeaked. "You too Arthur? You knew about this?"

Arthur grinned. "Yes dear. I was pulled into their planning and I agree one hundred percent. You'll do very well there I think. Now that all the children are grown or away at school there's no reason for you to muck around here all day long. Go do what you love to do."

Harry snuck up to where they were sitting and pulled a set of keys from his pocket to hand to Mrs. Weasley. She stared at them for a moment before taking them and pulling Harry down into one of her legendary hugs. Everyone cheered, and eventually Arthur had to remind her that Harry did need to breathe regularly. Even then, he was subjected to many kisses and another short hug before Molly let him go.

Once she had calmed down, she shook her head. "Harry, you know you didn't need to do this…"

"I know, but I wanted to. You have done so much for me the last 7 years and I wanted to give you something in return."

Molly looked as if she was going to say something but he cut her off. "I'm not going to take no for an answer Mum. The shop is yours to do with as you want, starting when you get back."

One of the Weasley matriarch's eyebrows went up. "Get back? From where?"

Harry just grinned and handed an envelope to her. Only Ginny, Hermione and Ron knew about the cruise, so everyone else was surprised when it was revealed that Arthur and Molly would be going on the trip in two week's time.

Both Arthur and Molly were looking up to Harry in surprise. "I know that you both don't believe in taking charity but this isn't; it's a gift. You both have changed my life for the better, in so many ways that I can hardly start to list them. Please, go and have fun. Dad, Kingsley's already approved the time off for you and he probably won't allow you to come into the office that week anyway," he said with a wink.

Harry had to endure another round of hugs from both of his adoptive parents before he could make his way back to his seat next to Ginny, receiving claps on the back and smiles from everyone on the way. Everyone had a grand time for the rest of the evening, and before long Mrs. Weasley was insisting on everyone helping to clean up quickly so that the five who were heading off to school the next day could get a good night's rest.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger said their goodbyes to Hermione and Isla - since both girls would be spending the night at the Burrow and leaving with everyone in the morning - and were taken home by Hermione.

Everything was nearly put away by the time they heard Hermione returning on the back porch, but there was another loud clap right after hers. When they heard Hermione's voice on the back porch, the living room crowded up to see who it was.

After a moment, Hermione opened the door and led Kingsley Shacklebolt in. Percy nearly bowled Ron over on the way to greet the Minister.

Harry could tell from the look on the dark-skinned, ex-Auror's face that something was wrong. He didn't think that the man could look any more pale, and that was saying something.

Mr. Weasley could tell something was off too. "Kingsley?"

The Minister's eyes looked haunted as he spoke. "The guard duty escorting Travers to Azkaban never checked back. None of them made it there. We found their bodies all about an hour ago."

He looked around the room as he sighed. "Travers escaped."

* * *

_Dun Dun DUN! Yet another cliffhanger and something for Harry to worry about. _

_Next time: The trip on the Hogwarts Express and everyone's first night back at the castle!_

_THANK YOU for reading everyone! Please favorite/follow and review if you like the story so far (or if you don't). I do want to know what people like and dislike so I can make the story better. As always, a big thanks to my Beta readers for their proofing, ideas, and their ability to keep those writer's block-inducing Blibbering Humdingers away!_

_-Midnight_


	25. September 1st

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 25 - September 1st **

"Time to get up you lot! It's nearly nine o'clock and you need to be at the train station early!"

Four separate voices on two different floors groaned at the same time. It had been a late night for all of them and none of them had been able to get to sleep easily once they had gotten into bed. Understandably, Harry had had the worse reaction of them all when they learned that Travers had managed to escape again.

Kingsley had only stayed for a little while to give them the news, and most everyone had stayed up for hours talking about the development. Arthur had worried about going off on his and Molly's vacation now that his department would be focusing on finding Travers once more, but Kingsley looked him straight in the eye before leaving and told him that "under no circumstances" would he be allowed to cancel his trip.

Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron slowly made their way downstairs after showering and changing, levitating their trunks in front of them amid a chorus of yawns and leaving them stacked in the living room. Isla was already at the kitchen table, full of energy and excitement that was the extreme opposite of what Harry was feeling. He smiled as he remembered his first day off to Hogwarts and all the excitement he had felt even though it had been somewhat spoiled by the Dursley's.

Ginny caught Harry's eye as they ate and listened to Isla asking Hermione all sorts of questions and they both grinned, hoping that the girl's enthusiasm would continue once they reached Hogwarts. Hermione caught their grinning and joined in; Ron was stuffing his mouth full of food like normal and missed the whole exchange.

After they had all eaten their fill, Mrs. Weasley ran through the list of what they all would need for the school year. Naturally, the three girls hadn't forgotten a thing but Harry and Ron had to make a few quick dashes up the stairs to collect ink, socks and other things.

As ten o'clock rolled around, everyone was ready to depart. Their last departure for King's Cross would be different; Kingsley had given them permission to use the Apparition-safe point on the platform itself the previous night, and had asked the four new Head Students to arrive early to assist with the students and their families as well as keeping an eye out for any threats.

Harry and Ron left first with their own trunks plus the ones belonging to Isla and Hermione. Everyone had agreed beforehand to wait a full minute before joining them at the platform in case something went wrong; this would give the boys time to Apparate back and warn them.

When the boys didn't return the women took their turns apparating away from the back porch. Hermione took Isla first in a Side-Along, followed closely by Ginny and her trunk and finally Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny arrived to a loud hiss of steam from the train engine further down the track and the squeals of Isla's excitement just ahead. After getting over a fit of giggles, she helped levitate everyone's trunks through the door closest to the front of the train. They would all be sharing the Head Student's compartment.

Ron came out of the compartment with a smile. "Definitely a sight bigger than the usual compartments we're stuffed into," he told them as they all met back on the platform. "There has to be an enlargement charm on it. They've even given us our own stash of snacks and drinks."

Hermione giggled. "Of course you would check on that Ron..."

He scowled playfully. "It's a seven hour trip Hermione! _Anyone_ would be hungry on a trip that long."

Isla decided to stay in the cabin as the rest of them spread out along the platform, waiting for their fellow students and their families to arrive through the entry portal. Harry stationed himself furthest away down the head of the track and looked around cautiously. It was something he always did now in unfamiliar or public places after being on the run for almost a whole year. Something was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and he frowned as he looked carefully around.

_Ginny, do you see anything off here?_ he asked over their connection.

She felt his tension and started looking around herself. _Nothing love. What do you see?_

Harry was about to answer when he saw a shimmer in the air about fifteen feet to his left, near a dark corner of the platform. He twisted his wrist to the side quickly and felt his wand slip into his hand from his father's holster. Making his way casually in that direction, he waited for a few moments before pointing his wand at the corner and muttering "Petrificus Totalus!"

His correct instinct was rewarded with the sound of a thud and he quickly made his way to the spot. Not seeing anything there, he searched his brain for the counter-spell to the Disillusionment Charm and cast it, finding a middle aged man laying there in front of him.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the man's Auror badge. _Ginny, we've got company on the platform, the good kind._

Releasing the man from the full body bind, Harry put out his hand to help the man up. "Sorry about that," Harry said. "I thought I saw something."

The older man just laughed and shook Harry's hand once he was standing. "Don't worry about it kid. Minister Kingsley told us that you weren't one to miss any tricks. It's good to meet you Mr. Potter, I'm Nigel Banforth."

Within moments Ginny, Hermione and Ron were behind them closely followed by a few more Aurors who were shedding their Disillusionment Charms. Introductions were made all around, and then Nigel spoke up.

"Sorry to startle you all, but the Minister wanted us to stay hidden and just observe unless something happened. Didn't expect for anyone to catch on that we were here, but it shouldn't be surprising that you did Mr. Potter. I suspect that your eye caught something when I was renewing charms on myself?"

Harry nodded and Nigel grinned. "Got the true makings of an Auror in you Harry. I knew your father for a while there while he was in training, you've got his sharp mind you do. I'd love to sit and chat with you all but the rest of us need to get hidden away again before people start arriving. Just so you know, I'll be riding the train along with another of our number but we don't think anything will happen on the trip today. The track route north has already been scouted out this morning and there will be a small team flying about a half hour ahead of the train in case that Travers mongrel decides to pull something stupid off."

"Good to hear," Harry said. "We'll be ready for anything as well, just give us the word." Hermione, Ron and Ginny all nodded; they wouldn't let anything happen to their classmates. They all turned to see the first of the inevitable rush of students coming through the portal, and they all returned to where they had been.

Before they knew it, the train's whistle was blowing loudly and the doors were being shut magically as parents crowded the edge of the platform waving and calling out their goodbyes. The four friends made their way to their compartment at the front as the train pulled out of the station and flopped down into comfortable seats.

"I don't remember being so rude and completely daft when we were their age," Ron said with a groan. "Or were we?"

Harry just grinned. "If you remember, we sort of did break a lot of rules on the train in our time."

Ginny laughed as she sat down next to Harry and leaned into him. "They're just all excited. As long as someone doesn't start a duel in the corridors I think everything will be ok."

Hermione nodded. "Yes, but we should still do some patrolling every once in a while. At least we can tell McGonagall that we were following her instructions," she said as she grinned and sat next to Ron, leaning over to kiss his temple.

Isla giggled from her window seat and looked out from over the top of the Charms textbook she was reading. "Hermione, I thought Harry and Ron said you were a stickler for the rules?"

Her older sister grinned and stuck her tongue out. "I was, but after hanging out with these two for so many years they've sort of rubbed off on me."

Ron just grinned as Ginny went into a fit of giggles. Harry blushed fiercely as Hermione realized what she had said and its hidden meaning. She looked mortified, but it didn't seem that Isla had caught on to what was said.

The train ride was fairly uneventful as they made their way north to the school. Nigel stopped by the compartment every so often to check in and report that everything was going as planned, and the four friends held the traditional meeting with the prefects in the compartment after lunch. It turned out that Professor McGonagall had appointed additional prefects than normal, so that each House now had eight spread among fifth through seventh years. Some were past DA members, which Harry was glad to see.

Hermione's planning skills came in handy as the prefects received the starting passwords to the common rooms and a patrol schedule was made for before, in between and after classes each day of the week, as well as right after curfew. Harry insisted that each patrol should be done in pairs for safety, and was surprised when he saw some inter-House pairings come out of their discussion.

The meeting took care of the usual mid-afternoon boredom, and afterwards the four relaxed in their compartment as their friends trickled in and out to say hello and chat. They were all glad to see Neville and Luna, and were surprised to see the two so close. Seamus and Dean also found their way to the compartment, as well as Lavender, Padma, Parvati and other DA members. They were all happy to hear that Neville had been offered a Teachers Assistant role as well in Herbology.

Isla found her way back to the compartment about an hour before they were scheduled to arrive in Hogsmeade, happy that she had found some fellow first years to talk with. Hermione and Ginny passed the rest of the time reading while Harry and Ron took it in turn to play Isla at Exploding Snap. They all had a few laughs as the eleven year old had her first experience with Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans when she picked out a liver flavored one to eat after losing a game.

Pretty soon the outskirts of Hogsmeade were visible through the windows and the compartment became busy with the five of them changing into their school robes and getting their trunks ready to be taken off the train later. Following the plan they had made earlier, Harry and Ron made their way down the length of the train on the inside to make sure everyone was getting out alright. Quite a few first years had to be told that they could leave their trunks on the train for later removal to the castle.

The girls left the train right away and once Isla was ushered towards Hagrid for the traditional first year boat ride, Hermione and Ginny helped the rest of the student body find their way towards the carriages.

After a good twenty minutes it looked as if everyone was clear, and with a final check in from Nigel the four friends caught the last carriage up to the school. Harry sighed happily as they passed through the gates and saw the castle up ahead. Ginny looked over at him pressed a kiss to his cheek.

_Glad to be back love?_

A small smile crept across his face. _Yes. It's like going home after being gone a long time, the castle was the first place I ever could call a home. _He looked over to her and offered his hand to her. _How about you?_

Ginny took his hand and smiled. _I'm glad to be back too. Coming here alone last year was horrible but I'm glad you're here with me. My home is with you now._

She leaned into him and Harry lifted a hand up to her chin, turning it more towards him for a kiss. It took a not so subtle throat clearing from Ron to remind the both of them that they weren't alone. Harry and Ginny both blushed a little and Ginny kicked Ron in the shin. "What, it's not like you and Hermione weren't thinking about doing the same thing."

"Yeah, well, you don't have to go doing it right in front of us do you?"

Hermione joined the other two in a laugh. "Ronald, are you feeling left out?" she asked before turning to pull him into their own kiss.

* * *

As Harry and the other three walked into the Great Hall behind the other students, he couldn't help but be amazed by how normal everything looked compared to when they had left almost four months ago. Gone was all the rubble and debris on the floors, and gone were the signs of the dozens of duels that had happened that fateful day. Everything seemed bright and new, welcoming everyone for a new year.

They all took seats at the near end of the Gryffindor table. Almost everyone in the room was close to being seated, and the emptiness of the Slytherin table was plainly evident. It looked to Harry as if almost half of the House was gone now; there were barely any students there above 5th year.

His gaze shifted to the staff table and he smiled upon recognizing many familiar faces there among some new ones. Professor Slughorn caught his eye, and Harry could almost sense the older wizard plotting how to get Harry to attend more Slug Club meetings this year.

The conversation in the Great Hall grew to a dull roar before Professor McGonagall entered from the side room on the staff dais and walked to her seat. A loud cheer went up from the student body and it took a few moments for her to settle everyone down with some hand motions.

"Yes yes, thank you very much everyone. Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I hope that each of you had a good summer break and that you are all ready to study hard. I know that the last year has been difficult for us all but I promise you that myself and the rest of the staff are working tirelessly to restore our school to its former glory. It is up to you all, however, to uphold our school's traditions and standards of excellence."

"I do have many announcements to make, but they will keep until after the Sorting and dinner of course. Without further ado, Professor Sprout would you please bring the first years in?"

The short Herbology professor entered the Great Hall and made her way down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. There were a few more first years following her than normal, and Harry realized that there were quite a few students that looked a bit older than eleven; either having been held back by their parents or not having received their letter the last summer.

Professor Sprout lined the new students up in front of the staff table and placed the Sorting Hat on a stool. Everyone waited quietly for its song, and Harry found his thoughts drifting as he remembered his own sorting seven years ago.

The sound of everyone applauding brought him back to the present and he smirked to himself, hoping that no one had caught him daydreaming. He realized that he hadn't gotten away with it when Ginny looked back at him grinning.

_Don't worry love, I think everyone else was paying attention up front._

Harry just grinned back and held her hand in his under the table as the Sorting began. Both Ginny and him applauded politely as each new student was sorted to their House, more loudly when the House was Gryffindor, of course. They held their breath along with Hermione and Ron when it came to Isla's turn. Her time on the stool took the longest of all, and Hermione's face was full of worry before the Sorting Hat opened it's mouth and cried out "Gryffindor!"

No one applauded and cheered louder than the four of them at the other end of the table as Isla shyly made her way to an open seat at their House table. The rest of the Sorting went on uneventfully, and as the last first year took their seat at the Hufflepuff table, the feast began and the plates in front of them were filled with all their favorite foods.

Hermione had an eye on her little sister down the table and giggled a bit seeing how wide Isla's eyes went when the food appeared. Beside her, Ron was piling food onto his plate as was the norm.

"Finally! I thought that the Sorting would never end. I'm …"

"Starving." Harry, Hermione and Ginny finished for him, all of them trying not to laugh. He scowled at them, and they all had a good time eating and catching up with the other Gryffindors.

* * *

Professor McGonagall stood at her chair as dessert disappeared from everyone's plates and sent a few golden sparks from her wand to call for attention.

"Well then, I know all of you are full and would like to retire to your dorms but I do have a list of announcements that need announcing so if I could have your attention for a few moments. Firstly, I would like to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and Head of Gryffindor House, Mr. Bill Weasley, and our Muggle Studies teacher, Mrs. Jane Smithley. Mr. Weasley will also be teaching some Transfiguration classes."

The two new professors got a raucous round of applause, especially from the Gryffindor table.

"Due to the events of the last few months and the staffing changes here, I have asked a few of our most senior students here to take on additional roles as Teachers Assistants and I am very glad to announce that they have accepted."

There was a brief spatter of murmuring around the Hall but it died down as the Headmistress continued.

"Mr. Neville Longbottom has agreed to assistant teach some Herbology classes in order to give Professor Sprout some time with her new duties as Deputy Headmistress," she said, waiting for the polite applause to end.

"Miss Ginny Weasley will be assisting Madame Pomfrey in the hospital wing this year, as well as conducting various First Aid classes for any interested students. More information about these optional classes will be posted in the next few weeks. Miss Hermione Granger has generously agreed to help Mrs. Smithley with the third year class, even with her busy course schedule."

Both of the girls blushed at being called out, but they too received applause from all four tables.

"Finally, both Mr. Harry Potter and Mr. Ronald Weasley have agreed to co-teach the first-year level of Defense Against the Dark Arts for this school year."

There was wild cheering from among the newly-sorted students which brought grins to both Harry and Ron's faces.

"Yes yes, a big thank you to them all. I would like to point out that even though they are students themselves our Teacher Assistants do have the ability to take away or give House points, and assign demerits and detentions."

"I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest on the castle grounds is, as the name suggests, forbidden to everyone except N.E.W.T. level Care of Magical Creatures students, and then only accompanied by Professor Hagrid. Mr. Filch has also asked me to mention that all products from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are included on the list of banned items and will be confiscated on sight," she added, the faintest twitch of a smile appearing on her lips.

"You will notice an increased presence of security here in the castle starting tonight, and that includes a rotating group of Aurors provided to us by the Ministry of Magic. I ask that you heed their warnings and directions as if they were faculty members. Our Head Students, prefects and Head Prefects will be patrolling the grounds and corridors in shifts during the day and after curfew as is tradition. If you see anything amiss or untoward, please inform them or a faculty member immediately."

"On a much lighter note, I am pleased to inform you that this year, and every year thereafter Hogwarts will play host to two events. The first is the Yule Ball, open to every student fourth year and above. There will also be a Victory Ball on May 2nd, following a memorial service on the castle grounds. However, these events are far in our future and I am sure you are all ready to get some rest and start fresh with your studies in the morning. Off you go then."

The Great Hall became a giant swarm of students as everyone attempted to leave at one time. Prefects were heard gathering their House's new first-years who needed to be shown to their common rooms. Harry looked over to his friends with a thought in his mind. "Anyone know where our rooms are?"

They all shook their heads. "It's always a big secret," Ron started. "Percy the prat never told me or even invited me in when he was Head Boy."

The four of them waited until the aisles were clear enough, and then approached the faculty table. When McGonagall saw them, she smiled and rounded the table to come down to them. "I nearly forgot that you lot hadn't been told yet about your quarters. Follow me then, it isn't far."

The Headmistress was true to her word. They only needed to climb one flight of stairs and go down the corridor that housed the Headmistress' Office before they all stopped outside of a full-length portrait of a empty classroom. "Now then, all you need is the password to gain entrance. Since this suite of rooms is just for the four of you, you may set your own password at anytime. For now, I have set it to 'Hope'."

They all smiled as the portrait swung open at the word, and once inside they couldn't help but grin at what they saw. Their common room was smaller than Gryffindor's, but was still cozy. The colors on the carpets, curtains and furniture changed into various shades of red and gold as they all piled in and looked around. There was a long couch as well as two loveseats in front of their fireplace, and the walls that didn't include large windows with a view of the grounds held bookcases filled with selections from the Library. On either sides of the fireplace were short flights of staircases that led up to small balconies.

"Your rooms are up on the balconies above, as well as private bathrooms. You may choose your own rooms to do with as you wish," she said as she looked at them, a twinkle in her eyes. They all got the feeling that their Headmistress were acutely aware of their sleeping arrangements at the Burrow.

"A final few things before I leave you then. On the reading stand there I have left you all a list of the school's defenses that I have given you permission to activate and use. Please read through as soon as you can, I am of course available if you have any questions. You may of course invite any of your friends here to visit, but they are not to know about the special arrangements that we spoke about with the Minister this summer."

"Lastly, there are now only three fireplaces in the castle that are connected to the Floo Network; this one here, the one in my office and the one in Professor Weasley's office. They will only accept outbound calls and passages. Unless it is an emergency, you will still require my permission to leave the grounds, understood?"

They all nodded their agreement and she smiled again. "I thank you all again for your help this year. Hopefully all these precautions will never have to be used. Have a good evening then."

McGonagall headed for the door before stopping and turning around, the smile still on her face. "Mr. Potter, I believe that your house elf has followed you back here. You may of course ask him for assistance, and he is very welcome to continue his work here at the school." With that, she left the four of them alone.

Hermione immediately headed for the bookcases to see the selection they had, while Ron plopped down on the couch and sighed happily. "Pretty fancy place, I could get used to this…"

Harry and Ginny just grinned as they looked around as well. Sensing how tired Harry was, Ginny took his hand and led him towards the right hand side staircase. "Well, we're off to bed," she said as they started up. "We'll just take the room on this side and you two can have the other ones. Night!"

Harry chuckled as he looked back at Ron's facial expression from the balcony. They looked into both rooms on their side, noticing that their trunks appeared in both. With a loud snap, Kreacher appeared next to them.

"Master Harry, Mistress Ginny. Kreacher has brought all of your possessions up personally. Kreacher has placed the trunks in separate rooms, but has placed all of your clothes in Master Harry's dresser and closet," the little elf said with a very rare wink. "Did Kreacher presume too much?"

Ginny blushed as Harry shook his head and grinned. "No Kreacher that's perfectly fine, thanks."

The small creature nodded. "Does Master and Mistress wish for Kreacher to wake them each morning before breakfast in the Great Hall?"

Ginny shook her head. "Don't worry about us Kreacher. We'll just put a charm on our pillows."

"As Master and Mistress wishes." Kreacher bowed and then disappeared.

The couple walked into their room and smiled as the carpet and bedspreads changed into Gryffindor colors. Harry immediately flopped onto the bed and sighed. Ginny started to lay her robes over the end of the bed before realizing that the bed was larger than the ones in their dorms.

_Think the beds in here were always this big? _she asked with a giggle as she started removing her uniform, looking through the dresser drawers for her pajamas.

Harry smirked. _I highly suspect that McGonagall knows more than she's letting on, and is choosing to look past our sleeping arrangements._

She looked up at Harry through the reflection in the mirror. _Are you going to just sleep in your robes love?_

_Well, at least I'd be ready to go straight to breakfast in the morning,_ he said with a sleepy voice.

Ginny grinned as she made her way over to the bed, sitting next to him before leaning over to place a tender kiss on his lips. _But you'll get everything all wrinkly. I guess I'll just have to get you ready for bed myself._

Harry's eyes popped open and he grinned. _That plan is much better, Pepper Imp._

_Mmm, nope. Don't like that one either,_ she said with the grin still on her face, hand loosening his tie and starting to undo his shirt buttons.

_Drat. There has to be a good one…_

* * *

_So our heroes are back at school for their final year. What kind of mischief will they find themselves in? Will Travers make an appearance somewhere? Does Harry ever find a nickname for Ginny? When did Kreacher learn to crack a joke?_

_Read on and find out! Thank you to all the readers and your favorites, follows and reviews. As always special thanks to my Beta readers for their help!_

_-Midnight_


	26. Compassion and Understanding

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 26 - Compassion and Understanding **

Ginny groaned as the alarm charm she'd placed on their pillows started vibrating underneath them. "... morning already?"

Harry smiled as he felt her shift around and curl back against him, her bright red hair splayed around on the sheets surrounding them. "Unfortunately, yes. We should probably get ready and go down to breakfast for our schedules," he said as he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"I just want to stay right here," she muttered. "It's nice and warm."

A mischievous grin crossed his face as he started slowly sliding the comforter that they had both used down and off of her. It took Ginny a few moments to realize this, and she started protesting at the cool air rushing over her skin; they had both been sleeping in the nude.

Seeing that his lover was still content to stay curled up against him, Harry leaned over to start nibbling her earlobe. This brought a small moan from the redhead and she paid back his favor by kissing his shoulder repeatedly.

"Harry, don't start something now when we don't have the time to finish..." she said with a sigh, finally opening her eyes and smiling at him.

The brilliant smile that was in front of him always put Harry in a good mood and he couldn't help the one that formed on his own face. "I guess you're right love, perhaps later on?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows playfully."

Ginny giggled and swatted him with a pillow. "What's got you in such a good mood love?"

Harry shrugged as he sat up and started stretching. "Not sure. I guess being back here and being able to look to a future that's not so scary."

She nodded and planted a kiss just under his left ear. "That's a very good reason," she murmured, leaning her head on his shoulder for a few moments.

The two started to get ready for their day and Harry made his way into the adjoining bathroom for a quick shower. He noticed that there was a decent sized bathtub in the corner that looked like it could hold at least two people. Holding his hand out under the shower head, he tested the temperature before stepping into the stream of water and rubbing the last remnants of sleep off his face.

Feeling two arms wrap around him, he gasped a bit. Ginny grinned at that and reached for a bar of soap. "Yes, love?"

Harry looked astonished for a moment but then matched her grin. "I was just surprised is all. We've never showered together before."

The slightly shorter redhead giggled. "Yes, I realized that a moment ago and decided it was time to change that. Not only can we get ready more quickly in the morning, it's a very nice way to wake up." She started running the soap over Harry's chest, letting a good lather build up there.

Harry smiled and closed his eyes to enjoy the wandering that her hands did while she cleaned him, paying a good bit of attention to his back. Her hands felt almost like a massage and he had to pay attention to not give in all the way and slip in the soapy water. His eyes opened as she pressed a kiss to the top of his back and the soap was put in his hands.

"My turn now, love," Ginny said with a smile. Harry readily agreed and soaped her up as well as she had done for him. She was sighing appreciatively as he rubbed down her back. "That feels amazing Harry," she murmured. "Can you do my hair as well?"

His eyes followed the hand she used to point at her shampoo bottle, and soon Harry was engulfed with the flowery scent that he had come to love. Ginny was in heaven as he slowly massaged her scalp and made sure that every bit of her long hair was cleaned. As they both finished rinsing off, Ginny turned to him and pressed a kiss to his chest. "I could definitely get used to you washing my hair love. I loved the attention."

Harry just smiled and ran his hand down her arm. "Anytime you want, milady. I enjoyed it too..." he said before a loud grumble erupted from his stomach.

She giggled as they both stepped out of the shower stall and dried off. "Alright, I get the hint. Someone's hungry..."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the two were dressed in their uniform and robes and taking their seats at the Gryffindor table across from Ron and Hermione.

"Have they been by with the schedules yet?" Ginny asked as Harry poured the both of them a strong cup of tea.

Hermione was looking down the table in the direction of the teachers. "Not yet, but any moment now I'd guess. How'd you two sleep?"

Harry smiled back at her. "Probably as well as you two did."

Both Hermione and Ron blushed, which caused Ginny to giggle. "Really you two. You're all over each other almost all the time and you can't handle a comment about it?"

Ron smeared some grape jam on his biscuit and scowled. "It's a bit strange hearing my baby sister talking about me like that." He winced as Ginny kicked his shin. "Ok, ok fine. Little sister?"

Ginny smirked. "Better that time."

Harry and Hermione were still grinning at the exchange when Isla came up behind her sister with a big hug. "Hi!"

Hermione turned to return the hug. "Good morning! How was your night?"

Isla planted herself on the bench next to Hermione and looked around at all the food before plucking a banana out of a basket and peeling it. "It was good, but I'm probably going to get lost finding my way back to the common room a few times. This place is enormous."

The four friends were giving her some tips and secret routes to get around faster when Neville came up to them. "Professor McGonagall wants to see us," he said. "She has our schedules personally."

With Ron stuffing another bite into his mouth, they all rose and made their way towards the teacher's table, walking by Bill who was starting to pass out the class schedule at that end of the table.

McGonagall waved them up to the table and waited until they all faced her across the table before handing each of them their papers. "Good morning you lot. I wanted to pass out your schedules personally, in case you had any questions. We've changed the normal schedule around a bit this year to to accommodate the influx of students and the extra classes, and to make sure that none of your own classes conflicted with those that you are teaching. As such, you all have nearly the same schedule as each other."

Harry looked down at his schedule briefly and took a peek at Ginny's, relieved to see that for the most part it was almost exactly the same.

"We have scheduled your teaching classes at the same times, Tuesday afternoons and Friday mornings. Miss Weasley, during these times you are assigned to Madame Pomfrey for an individual study class, as you will be either assisting her with patients or studying Healing."

Ginny smiled and Harry could feel her excitement over their connection.

"As you can see, you all have quite a bit of free time assigned, especially on Wednesday afternoons. The N.E.W.T. class for Care of Magical Creatures is that afternoon and while none of you took the sixth year courses, I am certain there wouldn't be any problems in catching up if any of you wish to take the class and sit the test."

The five looked around at each other for a moment and Harry caught Ginny's eye. _What do you think Gin'?_

_We do have that whole afternoon free, so we might as well since we can't exactly have Quidditch practice that early. I'm sure Hagrid will be over the moon seeing us there._

Harry smiled and sent a mental hug to her before they announced their agreement to take the class. Neville, Hermione and Ron begged off the additional class, and Harry had to work to hide a laugh when Ron muttered something about 'extra work.'

Professor McGonagall quickly made the schedule changes and wished them a good day before dismissing them back to breakfast. A quick check of their schedules showed that they all had the first period free before a double Charms class and then Transfiguration after lunch. Ginny and Ron both grumbled about missing a chance to sleep in, then gave Harry a look when he made the wisecrack "like brother, like sister."

Ron and Hermione went off on their own after a few moments, which left the other three to enjoy a leisurely breakfast while the rest of the school finished and hurried off to their classes. Neville excused himself after a bit, which left Harry and Ginny alone to enjoy a nice walk down by the lake before retrieving the books they needed from their new rooms.

Each of their classes that day was focused on reviewing what everyone knew and remembered from the previous year, so that the professors knew what needed revising and where to start with the rest of the material they all needed to know for their N.E.W.T.s. Just like the beginning of fifth year, each professor took a significant amount of time during class to mention just how difficult the tests were and how much work they expected everyone to put in for studying and homework.

During Charms Harry found himself speeding through the list of spells that Flitwick had written on the chalkboard for them to review, which surprised him. Charms hadn't really been one of his better subjects before, and it had been over a year since he'd practiced most of them at all. When he realized that he had only needed to look in his textbook once for a correct wand movement, he frowned.

_What's the matter love?_ he heard Ginny calling out to him from her spot next to him.

_Nothing really, I'm just trying to figure out how I'm not as rusty as I thought I would be with these spells. I've barely used any of them in ages but I'm not having any troubles._

Ginny looked up at him with a thoughtful expression. _I was just thinking about that myself; I had so much trouble with the Refilling Charm last year but it was a snap just now._

Harry sat back for a moment and thought. _I wonder if we're sharing our knowledge somehow through the bond. You've always been much better than me with charms, so maybe I subconsciously figured all these out with your help._

She gave him a funny look, then smiled. _If that's the case Harry, then studying is going to be a snap for us. We'll be able to get all our work done much faster._

_Leaving us much more time to do some 'extracurricular activities',_ Harry said as he grinned.

Ginny was hard-pressed not to burst out laughing in the middle of the class. _You're absolutely incorrigible Harry!_

* * *

By lunch-time the next day, Harry's mood had turned from peaceful to worried. He and Ginny had just finished posting an announcement in the Gryffindor common room about the Quidditch team tryouts on Saturday, and she could feel just how nervous he was about his first teaching class in just over an hour's time. His emotions were running back and forth from nervous to downright dread and she was able to pick up on the image that kept going through his mind, not being able to speak in front of the students and being laughed at.

He was being extremely quiet and not really paying any attention, so as they past the portrait leading into their private common room Ginny said the password to gain entry and pulled Harry inside, sitting him on one of the loveseats.

It took Harry a moment to snap out of his worries and look up at her, his mood evident on his face. Ginny smiled warmly and leaned forward to press a simple kiss to his lips. A small smile broke out on his lips from their contact and the feelings of support that he was getting from her.

_You're going to do just fine Harry,_ she said quietly as she pulled him into a hug. _Just remember what you did during the DA meetings. I think you have a natural gift for teaching, and it's not like these first-years have had a lot to compare your class to. Just relax and have fun with it._

Harry nodded and responded with a kiss to her forehead. _Thanks Gin'. You always know what to say._

She smiled brightly. _Only what I know to be true. Remember, if you freeze up or don't know what else to say just drop it on Ron, or have them read their books for a bit._

Harry grinned. _Dropping the conversation into Ron's hands randomly is going to be pretty fun I think._

Ginny giggled as she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. _I'll bet you two galleons he starts stuttering the first time you do._

* * *

By the time the the bell rang for the start of the class, Harry and Ron were in the classroom watching the first-years walking in and finding seats. Harry smiled warmly at Isla as she came in at the last minute looking a bit lost but happy to see him and Ron. Another Gryffindor witch made room at her table and the two looked as if they had already made a friendship.

Ron quickly took a roll call to see if everyone was there and Harry attempted to connect each name to a face. He noticed that the Gryffindors out-balanced their Slytherin counterparts by almost two to one, and he figured that it would be quite a few years before Slytherin house was at full numbers once again.

Once the attendance was taken, Harry smiled and looked out at the class. "Good afternoon everyone, welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm Harry Potter, that's Ron Weasley and we're going to be co-teaching you this year. I know you all probably have a lot of questions for us that don't have to do with the subject so let's see about getting those all out of the way okay?"

Harry grinned as he heard Ron trying to stifle a laugh behind him. "Yes, I'm the real Harry Potter with the scar and everything. Yes, Ron and I both weren't here the last two semesters for our seventh year, because we were out looking for ways to defeat Voldemort and I assume you all know that we did, along with many other people right here at Hogwarts."

Ron and a few of the students laughed at that, and Harry could hear Ginny's giggle in his own mind.

_Gin', you could hear that?_

_Most of it Harry. I was wondering how you were doing so I tried reaching out to see your emotions and I heard you speaking instead._

_Wow. This connection keeps getting better and better._

_I know, right? We could use this for a lot of things. _

Harry grinned and looked around. "So, any more questions?"

A very timid Slytherin wizard raised his hand. "Ermm, how would you like us to address you both?"

Both friends raised an eyebrow at that and Harry looked back at Ron. For all the planning they had done, they'd not thought about this.

Ron cleared his throat. "Good question. We're not professors, so how about Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter during class? I suppose you can use 'Sir' if you want to, but I think Harry would agree with me that it makes us both sound older than we actually are."

Another round of laughs echoed through the room, and Harry could see Isla was among the loudest in the bunch. Harry picked on another Slytherin who had their hand raised. "What's your question?"

The young witch looked nervous. "What are the Dark Arts? Which spells?"

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "That's a really good question. Let's talk about that a little bit. One of my favorite teachers and good friend once told me that it's not the spell itself that makes something Dark, or evil; it's the intent in which it is used."

The students looked up at him, most with a confused look on their faces. Harry stood from the stool he had been sitting on and started walking around. He looked to Ron, and his friend nodded and continued.

"Well, look at it this way. There are some specific spells and curses that I'm sure everyone knows about; I'm talking about the Unforgivable Curses. However, and let's see a show of hands here, who thinks that a simple levitation charm could be a Dark spell?"

There was a look of concentration on everyone's faces, and then three of them raised their hands including Isla. Harry called on her. "Miss Granger, would you mind telling us why you think so?"

Isla looked a little nervous, but the encouraging smiles from Harry and Ron boosted her confidence. "Well, couldn't someone use it to levitate a weapon against someone? Like, dropping a brick on their head, or lifting that person up high enough and dropping them?"

Harry nodded. "Thats a brilliant example, and I want everyone to think about that for a moment. That simple charm that you'll be learning in a few weeks can be downright deadly if the _intent_ behind it is Dark, or evil. In fact, almost every spell you'll learn here in your seven years can be used in a Dark purpose. That's the biggest lesson I think I've ever taken away from a Defense class. Sure there are counter-curses to learn, and practicing how to handle certain creatures that are considered dangerous; but unfortunately the biggest problem that any witch or wizard could face out in the world is another of our kind."

Ron could see that Harry had caught every single one of the student's attentions, and he smiled at that. His best friend was one hell of a teacher, and easy to learn from. He nodded for Harry to continue on as he stood up and then sat right back down on a corner of the desk to listen.

The same witch from Slytherin raised her hand again, there was a thoughtful look on her face. "So what can we do, what can we learn so we can defend ourselves from people who want to hurt us and others?"

"Miss Gambiwell, right? Well, I'm not going to say that there's a solution to that problem, because there really isn't. In this class, you're going to learn a lot about things you can do to protect yourself but I think the best weapons to add to your knowledge are understanding and compassion."

Harry saw the confused looks and smiled. "I surprised you all, didn't I. Let's give that a few minutes of discussion, and I hope you all don't mind a little history lesson; I promise it's not nearly as long or boring as one of Professor Binns'," he said and waited for them to settle down after laughing.

"One of the biggest surprises in my life, well, _the_ biggest surprise was when I learned that I was a wizard when I turned eleven. Even though my parents were both magical I was raised by my Muggle Aunt and Uncle, and they never told me. How many of you learned about your magical talent when you got your acceptance letters?"

There were about a half-dozen hands in the air. "Ok, so you all know exactly how I felt. Would it surprise you all to know that Tom Riddle, the boy who became Voldemort also found out he was a wizard at your age? Yes, Voldemort was an orphan just like I was, having lost a witch mother and a Muggle father. Now just imagine that; the most powerful Dark Lord in our time sitting here in Hogwarts just like we are. He wasn't born to a powerful family, wasn't influenced by a family that wanted power. Lord Voldemort was the creation of a young wizard like us that didn't understand compassion and wanted to make a name for himself."

"Could both of the wars in the past twenty-some years been prevented? Absolutely they could have. If perhaps Tom had one of his parents as he grew up, or if someone had taken him in or spent time with him, maybe he would have turned out different or someone could have stopped him from making the choices he did. Instead, when he discovered that he was related to Salazar Slytherin, one of our school's founders, he took Slytherin's ideals of blood purity and control over our world and the Muggle world to heart, focusing his hurt and rage on that."

Harry stopped to take a breath and saw that all of the first years were digesting what he was saying. "That's why I said that understanding and compassion are some of the best tools you can ever hope to have. If we understand where our friends and classmates come from, learn from them and accept who they are, then overall the world will be a much better place. If we have compassion for others, if we understand that everyone makes mistakes or has their own ideals and goals, then we'll have less differences and problems in the world."

"The greatest gift I've ever received wasn't a present on my birthday or at Christmas. It was love. My mother died to save me from Voldemort that night, and even when we were dueling that last time he couldn't understand how it was that I had beaten him all those times. He didn't have the capacity to understand love. If we all loved each other a little more, the world would be a much better place. Now, I'm not asking you all to start kissing each other or making out in the hallways," he said, waiting for the eleven year olds to laugh and giggle, "but try to find room in your hearts to understand everyone, and to have compassion for them. _That_ is a form of love in itself."

Harry looked over at Ron, who smiled back and spoke up. "I couldn't have said it or explained it any better. Let's see, we're going to give ten points to Slytherin for Miss Gambiwell's questions, and ten points to Gryffindor for Miss Granger's excellent answer."

Harry pushed his glasses up on his face and nodded. "I completely agree, you both added to our conversation brilliantly. Now, for the time we have left before the bell I'd like for you all to just relax and talk to each other. Learn about each other's likes and dislikes, where you all come from, etcetera. Now I know it's the first class, but there's going to be just a tiny bit of homework. No more than four inches of parchment telling us something you learned about another person. It can be someone here in class, or someone outside it, but I'd like it to be someone from another House. Remember, the more friendships we make and the more we understand each other, the better things will turn out in the end. You can leave when you hear the bell."

He walked over to the desk and sat down on it as well, looking over to Ron as their class started talking.

"That was bloody brilliant Harry, better than what we were planning. When did you come up with all that?"

Harry shrugged. "It was just what was going through my head really. I've been playing the 'what if' game about Riddle in my head ever since Dumbledore showed me his meetings with him in the pensieve."

"Well, it was perfect mate. They ate it up. I think I'm going to leave all the lectures to you, there's no way I can beat that," Ron said with a laugh.

Harry scowled. "Oh sure, leave all the hard stuff to me," he said, but there was a smile on his face.

_Ron's right love,_ he heard in his head from Ginny. _That was a fantastic start to your class. I'm really proud of you._

_Thanks Gin',_ he said happily. _Hey, aren't you supposed to be studying with Madame Pomfrey?_

Harry heard her giggle. _Some second years got turned around and tripped each other down a flight of stairs so I'm patching them up here. Doesn't take too much effort to fix some bruises and broken noses and listen to you too._

_Well, I'm glad you could love. It felt really good._

_Told you it'd be great, Harry._

There was one other person who thought it was pretty spectacular as well. High up on top of a tall cabinet in the back of the classroom, a tabby cat with peculiar eye markings was laying behind a large box and smiling wide. She was extremely happy with how the class had gone, and couldn't wait to get back to her office to fill Dumbledore's portrait in and thank him for his idea.

* * *

Later that evening after curfew, Hermione and Ron were taking a slow walk around the castle corridors. It was their turn to patrol, but they enjoyed the time alone together.

"I wish you would've been there 'Mione, Harry was brilliant. He's a natural, he is," Ron was saying as they made their way down the main staircase for the ground floor. "How'd your class go?"

Hermione smiled and leaned in close to him as they walked along. "It was pretty good, actually. Once they and I got over the strangeness of the whole student teacher thing we had a pretty good discussion about some of the differences in the way Muggles live versus the way we do. There's some smart ones in that group. I think we're going to have fun really, especially when we talk about Muggle creations like cars and stuff. I told them the story about a certain wizard and his first taxi ride," she said with a grin, looking over at him.

Ron groaned. "You didn't, blimey that's embarrassing love."

She giggled. "I didn't tell them it was _you_ Ron, don't worry. Your embarrassing moment is still safe. How was Isla?" she asked with a more serious tone.

"Good, actually. She answered one of Harry's questions and it looked like she wasn't as shy, maybe because she's with all the Gryffindor firsties for every class. I think she's made a friend already but I can't remember the name."

Hermione sighed in relief. "Well that's good at least. Hopefully I'll just have worried for no reason."

Ron squeezed her hand and they stopped in front of the portrait that was the entrance to the kitchens. He reached out to tickle the pear and they both heard it giggle. As the portrait swung open, Hermione looked at him.

"Why are we going in here?"

He smiled and pulled her in. "Because maybe I want to have a late snack with you 'Mione."

They both walked in and found the end of one of the large tables covered with a tablecloth. One of the house elves came over to them with a smile. "Master Ron has come just when he said he would. Come, we have a spot for you and fresh biscuits with tea. Llariss will bring it in just a moment."

Ron led her over to the table and waited for her to sit before taking a seat on the opposite side.

"You planned this Ron?" Hermione asked with a smile, looking over at the man she loved.

"Yeah, but it was easy so don't think too much of it, I just asked Kreacher if we could stop in tonight and I guess the help took it to heart," he said with a grin as Llariss returned with a large platter of treats and a pot of tea.

"Thank you Llariss, this is very kind of you," Hermione said with a smile.

The house elf did a funny little curtsy. "It was nothing Mistress Hermione. We are here to serve the faculty and students, even the ones who left knitted hats to find."

Hermione blushed. "For that, I am very sorry. I know now that you all love your work here."

Llariss nodded. "We does, very much. Now, please have tea before it gets cold miss."

Ron poured for the both of them and then started picking away at the cookies. Hermione sipped at her cup of tea for a moment before reaching out to put her hand on top of Ron's. "Thank you Ron," she said with a big smile on her face. "You're really thoughtful sometimes."

He smiled and turned his hand around to take hers and interlace their fingers. "Only sometimes?" he asked playfully.

Hermione giggled. "Ok, a good chunk of the time. Even when you're the Ron from years ago though, I still love you because you're mine."

Some color appeared on his face. "I love you too Hermione," he said as he lifted a jam-filled cookie to her mouth.

She smiled a bit and thought to herself before biting into it. _I am so glad I finally got him..._

* * *

_So the school year's off to a start and it looks like things are going well. The next few chapters will have Quidditch tryouts, plus another musical interlude!_

_As always, big thanks to my Beta readers for their help!_

_-Midnight_


	27. The Parting Glass - Fred's Interlude

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_See my profile for info on the title change!_

_The Parting Glass is a traditional Scottish and Irish tune that is sometime sung at the end of gatherings among friends. There are many artists who have covered the song, so listen along while you read this chapter!_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 27 - "The Parting Glass" - Fred's Interlude **

""_Of all the money that e'er I had  
__I've spent it in good company  
__And all the harm that e'er I've done  
__Alas it was to none but me""_

It was strange, he thought. Even though he had grown up with a ghoul in the attic and seen all of the Hogwarts ghosts, Fred never expected to be in the situation he was in now. Of course, he also hadn't expected to be killed and have to move on from his life.

Four months. It was a long stretch of time already but for Fred it seemed like years, floating around and watching as his family grieved him and tried to move on. He was sure he wasn't a ghost, but some part of him remained around each of the people that he had cared about and he was able to keep watch over them when he wanted.

""_And all I've done for want of wit  
__To mem'ry now I can't recall  
__So fill to me the parting glass  
__Good night and joy be with you all""_

It was hardest to watch his mother. Molly put on a strong showing when people were around her, not wanting to bring up any more reminders about him than was necessary but she still cried every day as she snuck away to sit at his grave. This night however her determination had failed her and he watched with a somber face as his father held her close in their bed while she openly wept. While it wasn't the reaction he had hoped for, Fred was glad to see she wasn't holding in her emotions any longer.

He watched Charlie and Percy as they sat in the living room playing a game of chess, two of the older brothers he had looked up to for so many years. These two had already accepted his death, and while they were far from the point of being okay with it, he knew that they would be the sturdy rocks their family would rely on. Percy would always be Percy the Prat to him, but the fact that he was back where he belonged put an unseen smile on Fred's face.

""_Of all the comrades that e'er I had  
__They're sorry for my going away  
__And all the sweethearts that e'er I had  
__They would wish me one more day to stay""_

Fred watched as Bill arrived home at Shell Cottage to the waiting arms of Fleur. The French beauty had grown on Fred and he was glad to see that his older brother had found some comfort through all the insanity of the past few years. He watched them for a while as they had a late dinner and Bill told her about his day at school. About the only regret that Fred had left was that he couldn't follow his oldest brother around the school and give Peeves a run for his money.

""_But since it falls unto my lot  
__That I should rise and you should not  
__I'll gently rise and I'll softly call  
__Good night and joy be with you all""_

He watched as his two youngest siblings got up from their spots in their private common room with their significant others. A smile crossed his face as he saw Ron chortling at something Hermione was telling him, and how happy little Gin-Gin looked as Harry wrapped an arm around her waist as they made their way up the stairs to their room. As awkward as it was to see them so close to others, he knew that Ginny and Ron were happy now and the two that they had chosen for themselves were perfect.

""_A man may drink and not be drunk  
__A man may fight and not be slain  
__A man may court a pretty girl  
__And perhaps be welcomed back again""_

Fred sighed heavily as he opened his eyes to watch the one person that he missed the most. George had taken his death the hardest of course, and even though he knew that his other half would never be exactly the same ever again, he too was on his way to happiness. He watched as his once-girlfriend sat next to his twin in the back room of their store, giggling at a joke George had made.

Remembering his brother's complete and drunken breakdown the other week, Fred smiled and just floated behind the two as Angelina placed her hand on George's. The two shared a look between them that spoke volumes even though nothing was said. Fred knew that the two were still a little bit away from being as close as he wanted them to be, but something told him that he wouldn't be around as he was now to see it happen.

""_But since it has so ought to be  
__By a time to rise and a time to fall  
__Come fill to me the parting glass  
__Good night and joy be with you all""_

A smile crossed his invisible face as he closed his eyes. _It's time,_ he thought. He had originally never wanted to leave his family alone but the longer he stayed as he was, the more he realized that it would slowly drive him mental, seeing what he was missing out on. He knew that his family would be alright now, and that he would still watch over them from where he was going.

""_So fill to me the parting glass  
__And drink a health whate'er befalls  
__And gently rise and softly call  
__Good night and joy be to you all""_

Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he looked up and saw a crowd of people standing behind him with smiles on their faces. Tonks, Remus, Mad-Eye, Sirius, Colin, Dumbledore and all the Weasley clan who had gone on before him stretched out their arms as one to him, and with that ever-present smirk on his face he turned and followed them.

""_Good night and joy be to you all""_

* * *

_Please follow/favorite and review if you like the story so far! Next time we're back at the castle for Quidditch tryouts and more._

_As always, a big thanks to my Beta readers for their help!_

_Thank you to EVERYONE who's read this story so far - we just tipped over 30,000 views. As any author would attest, knowing that so many people have read the story and come back to read each new chapter is a great feeling, and helps us to write more!_

_-Midnight_


	28. A Stained Glass Window

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_(The scene between Harry and Ginny in the middle of this chapter continues in chapter 5 of Snippets, the companion story to Post Script. Check my profile for a link!)_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 28 - A Stained Glass Window**

By the time the weekend came about, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were glad to have a whole two days off from their classes. While the classes they were teaching didn't yet require a lot of time or commitment, their normal classes did. Every one of their teachers had added to the seventh years pile of homework, and the quartet were silently happy that they had two fewer classes than everyone else.

After a few hours of studying in the Library and a quick lunch all four of them ventured down to the pitch, three of them carrying their new Eclipse brooms. Needless to say, the sight of the three professional brooms that had only just been announced a few weeks previous had heads turning. As a result, there were quite a few more people in the stands to watch the tryouts.

Hermione's dislike of flying didn't keep her away from the event; she had taken it upon herself to watch and take notes. Isla sat besides her in the middle of the pitch to watch the goings-on.

As the only remaining members of the Gryffindor team, Harry Ginny and Ron had the unpleasant task of having to find themselves two new beaters and two chasers. As the three walked over towards the group of hopefuls that had congregated on the grass in the middle of the pitch, Harry smiled at Ginny and nudged her forward.

Even though they were Co-Captains, Harry had insisted that she take the lead in running the team this year. Despite her objections, he managed to convince her by reminding her that he had already had his chance as the team's captain and that her increased leadership would help her solidify her goal of joining the Harpies after this school year was over.

With a nervous smile back at him, Ginny looked at the group of a little over a dozen Gryffindors and put a smile on her face. "Thanks for turning out everyone. Hopefully we'll be able to put together a winning team for our House today. Hopefully you all read the announcement we put up; we are not holding tryouts for the Seeker and Keeper positions today. Harry and Ron are returning to the team and their old positions. However," she said, waiting for the grumbling to die down, "we will be choosing a few people for reserves, to include both of those positions. We all know how often a certain someone seems to get injured during matches." A grin crossed her face as everyone laughed.

_Ginny... I'll get you back for that..._ Harry said to her over their connection, and grinned as he got a mental raspberry in response.

The tryouts got underway, and after all the prospective flyers got a few laps around the pitch for warm ups, Ginny started the hunt for two new Chasers. Eight flyers took to the sky to start, and after a few drills that number was reduced to four. Harry watched from a position just above and to the side of the group, and chortled out loud to himself as he heard Ginny mutter to herself.

_Why show up if you can't even hold the ball and fly at the same time?_

Those who remained looked to be fairly proficient and after another ten minutes of drilling, Ginny began the next step of the selection. Each of the flyers would get five attempts to get a goal past Ron after running a play with both Ginny and Harry as the other Chasers. Hermione would keep a running tally of everyone's attempts, and points were to be awarded for any especially good flying or fake-outs.

The first two flyers apparently came down with a bad case of nerves during their turns, and Harry could feel the growing frustration from his lover. He was starting to feel the same; the next two were their last prospects and they had to perform better.

The third flyer surprised them all, catching on to the flying style of both Harry and Ginny fairly quickly and catching their passes with ease. She made three of the five goals against Ron, the last of which turned out to be a spectacular fake out at the last possible second. This earned an ecstatic whoop from Ginny, who quickly flew over to welcome the fourth year named Anna to the team.

The last flyer was also a quick study and though she missed both of her first two goals, by the third passing play she was able to predict where Ginny would be to pass the ball to her and was scoring goals against Ron confidently. Harry noticed that Ron had seemed a bit unfocused for the last two goals, and grinned when he realized that his distraction was Hermione fanning herself.

Harry joined up at the goalposts to help Ron and Ginny welcome Anna and Lauren to the team. The two new girls were quickly recruited to help with the selection of the team's Beaters. After a quick break to let the two change into their House Quidditch robes, they all met up with the six prospective beaters.

Hermione's job was about to get a little more hectic as Ginny announced how the Beater tryouts would go. The five current team members would be flying around the pitch pretending to be playing a normal game. The other six were all outfitted with bats and would attempt to score as many practice Bludger hits on the team members as possible.

With a time limit of twenty minutes set, Hermione blew a whistle and released all the practice balls, minus the Snitch. Harry didn't much feel like having to chase it down while keeping an eye on everyone else, and would fly around randomly as if he were chasing it anyway. The twenty minutes of play gave Ginny and the two new Chasers a head start on learning each other's play styles and gave Ron a good workout. By the time Hermione blew her whistle again, they were all a little winded from the pressure of having to deal with three times the amount of opposing Beaters against them.

Hermione revealed the results and the team was complete. Jonathan and Derek Ogilvie were brothers but a year apart in age. Harry had eyed them as soon as they took to the sky; the two had obviously practiced together before because they actually worked very well as a team in chasing down Bludgers to use and defending each other's positions.

Both Harry and Ginny thanked everyone for coming out and let their new teammates know that they would work out a practice schedule in the next few days, then walked over to meet Hermione, Ron and Isla at the center of the pitch. The younger Granger had a bright smile on her face.

"You guys were brilliant up there! It has to be really exciting to be in a real game, I can't wait to watch. It's too bad we won't even have flying lessons for another two weeks; I want to try flying."

Ginny grinned at the enthusiasm from the normal reserved girl and gave her a side hug. "If you want to try out for the House team next year we'll all help you get ready over the summer."

Ron almost didn't hold back a laugh when he saw the look on Hermione's face. He knew that she thought the game was pretty dangerous and was just worrying about her sister. "Well, at least it's not all about books now, right?" he said quietly to her as they watched Isla asking Harry about some of the rolls and loops he had been doing.

Hermione sighed and nodded. "At least there's that. My dad would be thrilled if she wanted to try playing; he's got a big interest in Quidditch and from what I heard he was trying to get Isla interested in soccer before we found them."

He put a hand on her shoulder and smiled as they made their way out of the pitch, a thought going through his head.

* * *

Harry and Ginny stayed behind for a while to put things away and clean up a bit. As Harry dragged the trunk containing all the practice equipment into their locker room, Ginny looked around and banished the thin layers of dust that seemed to have gotten everywhere since it hadn't been used in over a year.

Harry walked around the familiar suite of rooms and poked his head into the two shower/washrooms to make sure all the plumbing still worked right. They both selected which lockers they wanted to use before looking into their office. It was a tiny space and they each grinned as the same thought crossed their minds; there were broom closets up at the school that had more room. Still, it was theirs and they flopped into the only two chairs there.

Ginny studied the chalkboard on the wall opposite her that had the outline of the pitch permanently applied. There were still a few faint markings there from the last few plays they had studied for their last game over a year ago.

Harry grinned as he watched Ginny's thoughtful face. "Already planning some new plays?"

She snapped out of her daydream and smiled a bit sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry love. Seeing what those two girls can do got me excited; once we get them through some practice and drills they'll be just as good as Angelina, Alicia or Katie."

"You don't have to apologize Gin', I'm excited too. We've got a decent shot at the Cup."

Ginny smiled as she looked over at him. They both had had a decent workout going through the tryouts, and while neither of them needed showers to freshen themselves up she couldn't help but be turned on by his slightly disheveled look. The dark and unruly hair that she had trimmed only a week ago was already starting grow back and through his t-shirt she could see the outline of of his chest muscles.

"Like what you see?" Harry asked teasingly.

She blushed a bit but nodded. "Erm, a bit yeah. I've always liked watching you after practice or a game... something about all the physical exertion gets me excited."

"Well, then I'm glad that the Harpies are an all-female team. I'd be worried every time you left for practice."

Ginny giggled and stood up from her chair, only to lean over his and press a kiss to his lips and sit in his lap. "You've got nothing to worry about love. This girl only has eyes for one person."

* * *

In the Great Hall Isla was sitting down to a game of wizard's chess against Ron while Hermione sat close, splitting her time between watching them and reviewing her sixth year notes from Ancient Runes. The older sister was glad that Isla and Ron had a good friendship, though she still wished the younger girl would spend more time with classmates her own age. Hermione smiled as she saw the enthusiasm on her face; Isla was convinced she would someday beat Ron at his own game.

Hearing a giggle behind her, she turned discreetly to see Neville walking over to meet Luna in the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Hermione had to smile at seeing the girl who was usually daydreaming getting so excited when Neville was near. Luna stood up on tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek, and then smiled over at Hermione who was now fully turned around and watching them.

Hermione blushed a little bit and waved back at them. Luna must have decided that Hermione was motioning them over, and nearly dragged Neville as they both took seats near the trio. As was the usual case when uniforms weren't required, Luna was sporting a strange outfit; a white and yellow striped sundress that was very bright, with white stockings and dozens of bangles adorning her wrists.

Ron looked up from the game. "Hey mate, Luna," he said quickly before looking back down at the board. "How were your first classes?"

The usually reserved Neville always seemed to brighten up when talking about Herbology. "Brilliant, I think. None of the firsties got injured and they seemed to enjoy the Devil's Snare."

Both Hermione and Ron looked over at hearing one of their least favorite plants. "Your first class was on Devil's Snare?" Ron asked with a gulp.

Isla giggled and made her move on the chessboard without looking over. "It was only a small cut of it. One of the Slytherin's wasn't paying attention though; he left his hand too close and nearly got a finger broken. It was a fun class Nev... I mean Mr. Longbottom."

Neville blushed at the formality. "Err, thanks Isla."

The younger Granger looked over to smile at him then gasped a little. "Oh…"

Three of the older students raised an eyebrow; Luna was staring off through a window.

"What's wrong little one?" Hermione asked.

Isla frowned. "Ermm, Luna right? Your aura is so strange!" she exclaimed quietly, standing up from the bench and walking over to the other girl, looking at the air around her. "It's so colorful, like a stained glass window or something."

Luna looked at the younger girl with a start, then down at herself. "It is? Hrm." She bit her lower lip. "Are you sure it's not Blibbering Humdingers? They're rather attracted to me."

Isla's frown grew worse, and she looked to Hermione for an answer but found her sister trying to hold back a laugh behind her hand. Remembering the stories her sister and Ron had told her about Luna, she put on a straight face and shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure you don't have any. You have a _lot_ of colors in your aura though, it's fascinating."

Ron watched the two with a smirk. "I thought Isla said each person only has one color at a time…" he muttered quietly to Hermione, who shrugged.

"Well, if anyone could have multiple moods at one time it'd be Luna," she mused.

The group sat and talked for a while longer before Neville and Luna took their leave to go for a walk near the lake. Like every other couple at Hogwarts, past and present, they had their favorite spot. The two were a fairly awkward couple, anyone who saw them could see it, and it wasn't just because he was a klutz and she was always daydreaming. Despite their public displays of affection they were still a bit unused to being around each other, so when they got to their spot they sat down awkwardly with a bit of distance between them.

Silence filled the foot or so of space between them before Luna scooted a bit closer and looked over at her friend. "Lovely," she murmured quietly.

Neville looked over at her with a bemused smile. "What's lovely?"

She blushed a bit realizing that she had said that out loud. "Oh, ermm, I was thinking about you actually."

His cheeks started to match the shade of hers. "I'm lovely?"

Luna nodded and moved the rest of the way over to him, almost leaning against him. "Yes."

"Why do you think that? I'm just regular old Neville…"

She looked at him with serious eyes. "Yes, you're Neville but there's nothing regular or old about you. You're unique. You are kind, honest and loyal, and you make me smile all the time, make me happy. Merlin you make _everyone_ happy Neville! Neville is his own person; fantastic and brilliant, creative and clever but a strong and brave Gryffindor. Don't think about what people have said about you. You, Neville Longbottom, are an amazing person."

Neville blinked as he looked at her. He couldn't remember ever hearing so much from his friend at once. "Really?"

She nodded and leaned in to kiss his cheek again.

"Well, you're an amazing person too Luna; you always worry about others instead of yourself. You have this way of making everyone feel special, like they matter. Most of all you are so sure of yourself. You have this wild sense of imagination and while other people think you're loony, I love that about you, everything about you. I just love you…" he said trailing off, his mouth staying open in horror as he realized what had come out of it. Neither of them had used that particular four letter word in front of each other just yet.

A bright smile crossed Luna's face before she moved to cover that open mouth of his with her own, breaking another 'first' barrier for them. Neville was surprised; they had only kissed like this once before, on that day when Lord Voldemort was finally defeated. This was new territory for them, they both thought as their lips mashed against each other and nostrils flared for air, but neither of them wanted to stop.

It took a few minutes for their first good snogging session to flame itself out, but at the end of it they were both grinning. Neville wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kept her close. Luna enjoyed that feeling for a few moments before sighing happily.

"I love you too Neville."

* * *

_Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Next time we'll be taking a field trip away from the castle to visit with some other characters ;)_

_As always, a big thanks to my Beta readers for their help and ideas - I really would be lost without them. Please follow/favorite and/or review if it tickles your fancy! _

_-Midnight_


	29. Explosions and Encounters

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings._

_Apologies for taking a few more days than usual posting this chapter; those pesky things called 'life' and 'work' got in the way ;)_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 29 - Explosions and Encounters **

A loud horn blew and startled Molly Weasley as she and Arthur were gathering their luggage out of the boot of the Ministry car that had brought them to Portsmouth. Both parents stopped and looked over at the enormous ship that was going to be their home for the next nine days. Molly wondered how something so large could even float on water, while Arthur carefully studied the large truck that was departing from the ship's large cargo hold and onto the dock.

The Ministry driver stepped out of his car and stood a close but respectful distance from them. "Amazing in'nit," he said with a smile. "Me wife and I took a cruise on 'er a few years back before all the You-Know-Who business. Yer going to have a grand time I suspect."

Arthur nodded as the driver helped them load their bags onto a trolley. "First real vacation for us since our honeymoon."

The other man grinned. "Well I hope you two celebrate it well then. Plenty to do onboard if yer get tired of your cabin. They even have _real_ live magicians performing every night in one of the theatres." All three of them chuckled at that.

"There's some of our own on the crew of this ship; don't worry about finding them. I'm sure someone will be by to introduce themselves to ya before you set off," the driver said before tipping his hat and returning to the driver's seat.

Molly looked relieved at that. She had been wondering if the two of them would be able to get by for the duration of their trip using minimal amounts of magic and not having anyone around to help them if something happened. Arthur, she knew, would have taken the lack of magic as a challenge to learn to 'live among the muggles.'

Clasping their hands together, they made their way towards the check-in line with their trolley. Soon enough they were walking up the long ramp leading into the ship proper[,] while their baggage was tagged and brought into through the cargo hold for delivery to their room.

Once on board the Weasleys were a little confused on how to find their rooms, especially since they needed to get five decks higher. Arthur was trying to figure out how the muggle 'eletators' worked until another couple walked by them and summoned one. Both watched closely and followed what the others did so they'd be able to do it properly later.

Ten minutes later, the two finally found their cabin after wandering around a few hallways and passing it at least once. Molly immediately walked out onto the balcony of their stateroom to see the view, which was pretty decent since they were currently faced away from land. Arthur took a few moments to inspect the bathroom plumbing and the bed before casting a gleeful look at the fellytision and telephone.

When he finally looked up and out past the sliding door to their private balcony, he smiled to himself and walked over slowly. His wife was resting her arms on the railing and looking out at the view in a daydream. Arthur wrapped his arm around her waist and stood next to her with a smile.

"Gorgeous view, isn't it dear?"

Molly nodded slowly before looking up at him. "Stunning really. It's almost like a dream; I never expected to be doing something like this. I still can't believe Harry arranged all of this for us."

Arthur grinned. "The lad does have a way of constantly surprising us. I'm glad this time it's all good surprises."

A sigh accompanied Molly's step towards her husband as she leaned against him. Arthur idly ran his hand up and down her arm as they watched the crew below get ready to sail, knowing what was going through her mind at the moment. He was proven right a few moments later.

"It.. doesn't really feel right to me to be celebrating or having a good time right now, not when…"

Arthur heard the break in her voice and turned to pull her into a full hug. "Molly dear, I feel the same way, truly. I don't think the time to feel right about it will come for a long time, if ever, but I know that if Fred saw us like this right now he'd be turning our hair all shades of green and hiding toads everywhere for us to find later."

He saw that she hadn't broken down to crying just yet which was good, but a large sniffle escaped her as she chuckled.

"You're right love. As much as I'm always going to mourn him, I shouldn't be dwelling on it."

Arthur nodded and rested his chin on the top of her head as he ran his hand over her back. They stood there wrapped up in each other for quite some time until another loud blast of the horn sounded and the ship began to move off away from the pier. He smiled as she turned around to watch their departure.

"What do you want to do first?" he asked her quietly.

Molly smiled and interlaced her fingers with his. "I think as soon as our luggage is delivered I want to order room service and spend this first night here alone with my husband," she said, a small grin appearing on her face.

After many years together, he could tell what that expression meant. "Mollywobbles, that sounds like a brilliant idea…"

* * *

Evening was settling in for its overnight stay over Diagon Alley as Angelina was going through her usual routine of closing and cleaning up the store. As she was straightening up the shelves full of Skiving Snackboxes that always seemed to need the most attention, she sighed and gave a longing look at the purple curtains that closed off the store from the back room. It had been a few weeks since George's outburst at the Leaky Cauldron, and even though he had apologized to her immediately when he woke up he was still a bit stand-offish.

Angelina knew that he was working through some tough things in his head; the recent breakdown having brought many feelings up that he had probably suppressed. She had noticed that even at home and surrounded by his family, he was still waging a constant battle in his mind.

It was hurting her to see him go on like this. She just wanted to reach out and touch him, or hold him for a while and let him know that she was there for him. Fred's loss had hit her hard too; she missed her once-boyfriend every day, but working with George nearly every day was somehow helping.

A loud bang and a short yowl from the back room snapped Angelina out of her thoughts, and she quickly made her way to the curtain and poked her head inside.

"You alright George?"

The sight before her would have had her in stitches from laughing if it weren't for the large burn mark that she saw on his arm. George's face and shirt were covered in blue residue and his hair was nearly all standing up on end from the force of the firework that had exploded on him. Still, she found it a little hard to control the giggle that escaped her and she covered her mouth with a hand.

George looked up to see her but couldn't hear what she said; it took a few moments of shaking his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears. A smile played across his face as he saw her giggling and his reflection in the full-length mirror that hung nearby. "Well, that's one way to turn yourself into a Smurf..." he mumbled through the powder on his face, smirking at the blue cloud that formed in front of his mouth as if he were talking outside on a cold winter's day.

Angelina grinned as she walked over to him, stopping well short of arms-length; she had known the twins too long to fall for the oldest joke in the book and she didn't want to be sporting the same shade of blue anywhere on her. "What's a smurf?"

"They're characters in a muggle comic that Fred and I used to read," he said as he pointed his wand at his face to clean off the powder with a quiet _"Scourgify!"_.

Seeing that there was only a little of the powder left on him, she stepped over to him and gingerly took his arm to look at the burn. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "I was trying to figure out how Fred had made this one and it blew up in my face. I'm considering giving my past self a raise for having the foresight to not use muggle gunpowder in our fireworks, would have been a lost worse."

Angelina nodded as she finished her inspection of the burn. "You're right, it's just a skin wound thankfully. Let me take care of it for you."

George shook his head and almost jerked his arm away from her. "No no, it's ok. I can fix it later, don't want to keep you here longer; I'm sure you have plans."

"George Fabian Weasley!"

The use of his full name had him looking straight into her eyes. "Sit back down you big numpty and let me take care of it for you."

From the tone of voice she was using, George could tell that she wouldn't listen to any of his objections, so he sat down and watched as she rummaged around in the first aid kit near the door and came back with a small tin and a roll of gauze. She lifted his arm and placed it squarely on the the chairs armrest before opening the tin and rubbing the cream mixture inside onto his burn.

She didn't see the slight wince on his face as she shook her head. "Honestly George, sometimes you amaze me with how stubborn you are."

He had to smirk at that. "Didn't you know? Being stubborn is a Weasley trait."

Angelina sighed as she passed her wand over the covered wound, wordlessly performing a healing charm. "Oi, how could I forget that. I've known you and Fred for ten years..." she said before stopping as she realized what she said. "Sorry..."

George smiled and put his good hand on her shoulder. "It's ok Ange'. I'm not going to go off on another binger."

She smiled a bit and wrapped the gauze tightly around his arm before looking up at him. "I'm glad to hear it. You had me a bit worried that night," she said softly.

He squeezed her shoulder. "I know I said it at least a dozen times already, but I'm really sorry for what I said. I know I'm not alone and I feel horrible for saying it."

"Then why do you keep shutting yourself away from everyone George?" came the quiet response as she looked off to the side a bit, resting a hand on top of his.

George opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say. She was right. He was letting himself get drowned in the emotions he was trying to keep away from everyone else. "I.. I dunno Ange'. It's hard; Fred and I always had each other to talk to when something happened. Now I feel like a part of me is missing. I guess it's hard to bring myself to wanting someone new to confide in."

It was her turn to squeeze his hand in support. She was glad that he was thinking about it all and that he had felt comfortable enough to tell her what he did. He was starting to at least feel better, she could see. Looking back at him, she could see the beginnings of an honest smile. With one more pat to his hand, she rose from where she'd been kneeling at the side of his chair. "I'll let you get back to it then, just promise me you won't go blowing yourself up?"

She had turned to go back out to the front of the store when she heard him speak up. "Ermm, Angelina? Do you maybe want to go get something to eat?" he asked softly. Seeing her looking back to him, he spoke again quickly. "That is, if you don't have anything planned. Don't want to intrude on anything."

A small smile appeared on her face. "Dinner sounds great George. I'd like that. However," she said with a little bit of a giggle, "you might want to change your shirt first and fix your hair too. People would think you're a bit of an oddball if you went out like that."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" he asked jokingly as he rose and made his way to the stairs that led up to his apartment. "Most people already do."

Angelina could only smile and shake her head as she waited for him to return.

* * *

A few hundred kilometers away and just south of the border to Scotland, Travers was sitting comfortably in the private room of a small town pub waiting for his guests to arrive. He had been in this particular area for a few days and in the morning he would be off once again to another place, constantly on the run from the teams of Aurors that were searching the country for him.

There was a knock on the door and he took a firm grasp on the wand he had stolen in his escape. "Come in," he growled quietly.

The door opened and Travers could see the owner of the pub for a brief moment before his visitor was ushered in and the door closed again. He watched as the other man in the room hesitated for a moment before taking a seat at the table opposite him.

"I didn't think you'd still be in the country..." the visitor said, pulling down the hood of his cloak slowly.

"What can I say, I guess I've become accustomed to the hunt. Show me," he said stonily as he put his arm down on the table. The two exchanged looks to each other's Marks before breathing small sighs of reliefs. The Marks still held their purpose, even though their Dark Lord was gone for good.

Travers poured the other man a glass of scotch and slid it across the table. "It's good to see you Lucius. They don't have a tail on you?"

Malfoy smirked as he took a sip of the alcohol. "Not since you managed to escape again. What's it now, three times?"

"Yes. I'm rather getting tired of the turn-around."

"What of the publican here?"

Travers shrugged. "Imperiused. He's especially dim-witted so I don't foresee any problems. What, afraid to get caught and lose your freedom?"

Lucius growled. "What freedom? They may not have thrown me in Azkaban but I'm still watched like a hawk. The only reason I still have my life is because my dear wife and son decided to throw in _against _the Dark Lord that night. The Ministry's evicted me from my own manor and seized my vault while they continue to investigate."

"Poor Lucius with no gold to bribe anyone," Travers smirked over his own glass, ignoring the other person's glare, "not that anyone will listen to you at the Ministry any more. In that, I have a leg up on you."

Malfoy put his glass down and studied the man in front of him. "You have someone inside?"

"How else could I have pulled off my most recent accomplishment? Even with all the changes and investigations, I still have someone there loyal to our cause."

"What cause?" Malfoy spat. "That bloody brat Potter managed to destroy the Dark Lord _again_. Even if there was a way to bring someone back from the dead we'd have no chance; the Ministry disposed of his body and everyone else on our side through the Veil in the Mysteries Department."

Travers sipped at his drink. "What's done is done. We should be looking forward to what it is that _we_ can do. We may yet be able to complete most of what he wanted to accomplish, if we plan carefully that is. Plus, wouldn't you like to exact some revenge on that snivelling Potter brat?"

They both regarded each other for a while. After a few minutes, Lucius finally spoke up. "What did you have in mind?"

Travers grinned evilly. "I have a plan formulating, but we would need a few more resources and some time. How many of us are left?"

Malfoy thought for a moment. "Besides us, five with the Mark remain hidden or watched as I am. There are 3 in Azkaban but the guard there has been tripled. I do know of some who were sympathetic to our cause that could be _persuaded_ to help us."

He received a nod back. "Then we plan carefully. It would not do for any of our help to get us caught. Watch them all and in due course we will meet with them. In the meantime, I will be planning our revenge on Potter and the Ministry. I have a very special Christmas gift in mind..."

* * *

_Dun, Dun, DUNNNN. What are Travers and Malfoy planning, you ask? Well, like he said we'll have to wait and see until Christmas-time in the story to see._

_George and Angelina's dinner together will be posted soon in Snippets, the Post Script companion story._

_Please favorite/follow and review if you like the story. As always, special thanks to my Beta readers for their help and ideas._

_-Midnight_


	30. Heavy Thoughts

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 30 - Heavy Thoughts **

_Harry looked out across the castle grounds from his spot in the courtyard, watching as the sun set slowly over the Forbidden Forest. It was peaceful at this time of day, and he listened for the sounds of the evening crickets that would soon start. _

_A hand on his shoulder jolted him out of his thoughts and he turned to see Ginny standing there with a smile. _

"_Hi Harry," she said softly as she leaned against the courtyard wall too, "whatcha doing here?"_

"_Just thinking. I get to do a lot more of it now that I'm not getting Voldemort's thoughts all the time. It makes for some peaceful dreaming."_

_A look of recognition crossed Ginny's face. "Wait, you're dreaming right now Harry?"_

_He looked over at her with a puzzled look. "Pretty sure I am, last thing I remember was laying with you in bed. Speaking of, this is pretty strange; we don't usually talk back and forth like this in my dreams."_

_She thought for a few moments. "Harry, what was I wearing when we went to sleep?"_

_Harry smiled. "Green knickers and nothing else. Wait a moment, you don't think…."_

_Ginny just nodded. "I think we're sharing a dream together love."_

_Before he could respond, they both realized that the sky was no longer a few dozens shades of yellow and red from the sunset, and it was now pitch black without any moon or stars above them. _

_A loud and unintelligible whisper made Harry turn quickly to look behind him; he could have sworn someone was standing right there but he saw nothing. Ginny was hearing the same thing, and as the two edged closer together the whispering grew louder and more frequent. It seemed as if there was a very dense fog of pure black, slowly rolling in from all around them._

"_Um, Harry what's going on?" Ginny asked with a frightened tone._

"_No idea Ginny, are you seeing this fog too?"_

_Ginny nodded and was about to say something when a voice startled them. _

"_Help Me!"_

_They turned around together to see Isla standing there, and the next instant they both heard a loud thud that seemed to resonate inside their bodies…_

Both Harry and Ginny woke up at the same moment in their bed, eyes wide open and panting loudly. Ginny had sat straight up and Harry was laying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling. It took them both a few moments to settle down, and Harry eventually sat up next to her.

"Bloody hell," he muttered softly.

Ginny nodded. "That's about what I was going to say." She looked over at Harry and leaned into him a bit, still clutching the bedsheets to her chest. "Did we have the same dream?"

"If you mean the courtyard, the dark fog and Isla popping up behind us, then yes I think we had the same dream. Nightmare would probably be the right word though."

She sighed and nuzzled into his chest. "Another mystery of our connection then… I wonder why it hasn't happened before."

Harry wrapped an arm around her and ran his hand up and down her uncovered arm. "Not sure love. I'm more worried about seeing Isla in there and what she said; Hermione's been worried about her but she seems to be doing ok."

"Yeah…" Ginny mused. They both grew quiet for a few moments. "Maybe we should ask her if she's doing alright, away from Hermione maybe."

He nodded. "Best it's you then, it seems like she would confide in you more than me."

They both yawned at the same time then, and Ginny picked her head up a bit to look out the window. The sun was slowly rising outside and she scowled at the timing. "It'll be time to get up in another forty five minutes or so," she groused.

"Yeah, though I don't think I'd get much more sleep in after all that," he murmured and pressed a kiss to her temple.

A loud sigh escaped her. "Me neither, unfortunately. Shame really, we could've used the extra sleep; Hagrid's going to be having us taking care of the thestrals this afternoon."

Harry yawned, and they both had a laugh at the grumble from his stomach. "Well, at least we can have a nice shower and a long breakfast…" he reasoned.

Ginny smiled and put a hand to his uncovered chest and leaned in for a kiss. "Or a long shower and a nice breakfast?"

* * *

A little while later the four friends plus Isla were making their way to their classes, picking their way through the crowds that were all seemingly bent on going through the courtyard. Hermione and Ron were discussing their Potions homework and only Ginny seemed to realize that Isla was lagging behind the rest of them.

_Harry, keep them distracted; I'll fall behind and talk to Isla._

_Alright love, but try to be quick about it. There's only so much interest I can fake about a potion._

Ginny sent him a mental raspberry before turning to look at her best friend's sister. "How are you doing Isla? You seem quiet today."

The younger Granger looked up at her and shrugged. "Alright, I think. I had a bit of a nightmare last night so I didn't sleep so well is all."

Hearing that, Ginny stopped in her tracks. Isla noticed this and turned back to move back towards her in the corner of the courtyard. "You okay Ginny?"

The older girl nodded and opened her mind up to Harry, mentally poking him to pay attention to the conversation. "Yeah, sorry. I just realized something is all. So, nightmare? What was it about, if I can ask?"

Isla shrugged again. "I've had a few of them in the last two weeks, but nothing really scary. They just seem to wake me up at different times in the night. The one I had this morning was just a little bit before we had to get up. I think I was in the courtyard here in my dreams, and it was getting dark."

She frowned and looked up at Ginny. "Did you ever take Divination? Most of those dreams have had that darkness in it. I wonder what it means."

Ginny frowned. "Never did take the class. I looked through Harry's textbooks once but I don't remember if there was anything about darkness in dreams…"

The other three had stopped at the other end of the courtyard to wait for Isla and Ginny. Hermione had finally stopped talking about their assignment and was looking anxiously at her friend and her sister. "What are they talking about, I wonder?" she murmured to no one in particular. With a frown on her face, she hoped Isla was telling Ginny about what was on her mind that morning; the girl had barely eaten breakfast and skirted the subject when Hermione asked if she was okay.

Harry watched the two and listened in on their conversation, though it was pretty difficult with all the other students walking around and talking near him. He jumped a bit as he heard the same loud and unintelligible whispering from right behind him, just like in that morning's nightmare.

He became acutely aware of something pulling at his senses, and his eyes jumped from the spot right behind him and up to the roof of the castle above the courtyard. Seeing something and hearing its low rumble, he dropped his book bag and sprinted across the courtyard towards Ginny and Isla.

"Back away!" he shouted at them a few moments before he reached them. With both of his arms outstretched, he pulled them back away from the spot they were standing in. Not a moment later all the students in the yard were screaming and shouting as a piece of the castle's battlements fell down onto that spot, cracking the stone flooring.

There was a large cloud of dust that accompanied the boulder-sized chunk down from the heights, and a small downpour of pebble-sized stone and roofing material. Harry stood as soon as he felt the last of the dust settle and heard people walking towards them. Blinking and coughing once, he looked down to see that he had pushed both Ginny and Isla far enough away to where they'd only caught a bit of the dust cloud. Ginny had pulled Isla down to the floor and shielded her as much as possible.

Both girls were coughing from the dust as they untangled their limbs and tried standing up. Before Harry could walk over and see if they were ok though, he heard a few gasps from behind him and the sound of people backing away again. He was still a bit winded from the sprint and subsequent fall to the floor, so he couldn't react fast enough to see what was going on before he felt something large and heavy crash into the top of his head, and then all he could see was black.

* * *

"Harry… Harry can you hear me..?"

Harry could hear someone calling for him on the edge of his consciousness as he started to wake. The voice was faint but growing louder as he focused more of his attention on it.

"He's stirring! Ron, go get Madame Pomfrey."

He groaned softly as he stretched a bit and then winced when he felt the headrest of the bed brush against the top of his head. "Oi, Hermione… could you keep your voice down a bit?" he asked quietly, still not opening his eyes. "It feels like someone's banging on the inside of my skull…"

"Sorry Harry," he heard to his right, before he felt a soft hand intertwine with his left. The familiar smell of flowers wafted up to his nose and he smiled a little. "Hi Gin'."

Ginny looked over at him from her seat and sniffled a bit before speaking. "Hi love, I guess I don't have to ask you how you're feeling. Madame Pomfrey will be here in a moment with something for the headache."

Harry tried to open his eyes a bit but was finding it hard because of the brightness in the room. It took a little bit but he was soon looking over at a fuzzy Ginny. She smiled wide and reached for his glasses on the bedside table, sliding them on for him. "They got broken," she said quietly, "luckily we know a professional repair woman."

"Much better," he said with a grin as he glanced over to Hermione. "Thanks Hermione, one of these days you'll have to show me how you do that; I can never get it right."

Before any of them could say any more, they heard the telltale clicking of Madame Pomfrey's heels as she walked up to the bed, with Ron following closely. "Good to see you awake Mr. Potter," she said with a smile. "That was a nasty bit of stone you took to the head."

Harry tried to smirk but found it hard with the throbbing in his head. "Unlucky me, I guess. How long was I out for?"

Ginny was lightly running her fingers over his hand. "Seven hours."

He groaned. "You weren't kidding then, Madame Pomfrey."

The mediwitch smiled. "I rarely do Harry. Now, I'm assuming you're in need of something for the dull roar of pain that I'm sure you're experiencing?"

"It would be appreciated ma'am. At the moment it feels like two mountain trolls are having a go at each other with their clubs in there."

Ginny tried not to giggle as she accepted the tray of medicines from Madame Pomfrey, who was looking down at Harry with a smile. "Humor is a good sign Mr. Potter, I don't believe there will be any permanent damage. Miss Weasley here is in charge of your medication, and I should like to keep you here for the rest of the evening at the very least."

Harry tried to nod but only ended up wincing.

Ginny sighed and picked up a small vial from the tray, holding it up to her boyfriend's lips. "Here, this should help with the throbbing,"

He looked into the small glass container briefly and caught Madame Pomfrey walking away out of the corner of his eye. "Are you sure love? I mean, I don't really see you studying all that much…" he jibed.

All three of his friends either giggled or snorted at his joke, and Ginny nudged him playfully before upturning the vial so he would have to swallow it. "I know what I'm doing Harry."

He made a face at the potion's taste, then smiled as it seemed to have an almost immediate effect. The dull throbbing was lessened to an ache; as if he had been reading without his glasses for a while. "So what happened?" he asked as he tried to remember back. "I recall getting you and Isla out of the way of that large boulder that was falling from one of the towers, but then it all went black for me. Did another piece get me?"

Ron nodded. "Beaned you right in the top of the head like a bludger on a mission mate. You went down like a sack of potatoes." He scowled back at the face that his sister gave him. "McGonagall and Flitwick took a pair of brooms up there to see what happened but couldn't find an explanation other than the cement that held it together had gone loose."

Harry arched his eyebrows at that. "So I was the victim of a crumbling bit of thousand-year old stone. Sort of boring after all we've been through, really."

Another round of laughter filled their corner of the infirmary, and even though Ginny joined in with it, she couldn't help but sigh afterwards as she looked at her soul-mate with worried eyes.

Harry noticed this and sat up a bit against the pillows as he took Ginny's soft hand in his with a squeeze. "I'm sorry I worried you love. At least this time I didn't go looking for the trouble," he said with a small smile.

His little joke brought a smile back to her face. "I know Harry, I'm just always going to be worried about you no matter what. Losing you would be like like losing a part of me."

That deserved another squeeze of her hand. "Oi, here I am complaining about my headache; what about you and Isla Gin'? I know I tackled you pretty hard to get you out of there. Were you hurting any while I was out because of the soul thing? Healer Smethwyck said something like that could happen."

"Nothing too bad Harry. Just a few scrapes and a bruise or two, I've had worse from Quidditch. I did have a dull headache when we brought you up here but I managed to block most of it from coming through to me, just like how we can block certain thoughts from each other."

Harry nodded with a smile and looked over to Hermione. "Isla's okay, thanks to you Harry," the brunette answered. "Ginny patched up her scrapes while Madame Pomfrey was looking you over and we sent her off to class. Speaking of, the last classes should be about over now..."

The end of class bell rang out just then, and Harry winced a bit as the sound reverberated a bit his head. "Why aren't you all in class then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "McGonagall would be throwing fits if all her Head students were skipping classes."

Ginny giggled. "Ron and Hermione went to Herbology and brought back notes for us, and Hagrid excused us for the day. Madame Pomfrey was happy to arrange it since I was getting some good practice."

Harry scowled playfully at her. "Oh I see, so you keep me around just to have excuses to miss classes..."

They all laughed as Ginny playfully punched his shoulder before leaning over for a kiss that had Ron turning just a little bit red. The couple were just pulling apart when they saw Isla coming over to them, relief evident on her face. "Oh good," she said softly, "you're awake Harry. I thought I felt your aura grow a little bit stronger a while ago."

The eleven year old smiled shyly over at him. "Thank you for saving me."

Harry smiled and shook his head. "You're welcome, but there's no need to thank me really. You're family Isla, I would do anything for family."

Isla beamed at that, and everyone saw the blush forming on her cheeks. "Still, thank you."

The sound of Ron's stomach growling had everyone laughing again. "Don't let me stop you from getting dinner guys," Harry said with a smirk. "You too Gin', you've been up here for hours. Go have dinner with them, I'll stay right here."

Ginny started to protest, but seeing that Harry was doing much better and that he probably wasn't going to take no for an answer, she stood up and kissed him quickly on the lips before following the other three out of the infirmary.

_I'll be back after dinner love, we have some things to talk about._

_I suspect we do, I'm remembering what you and Isla were talking about before that happened, _he said with a thoughtful tone. _Can you bring me back some biscuits or something? I have a feeling I'm going to be getting the usual hospital fare for my meal._

He heard Ginny's beautiful and melodic giggle in his head, smiling and closing his eyes as he leaned back to rest his head on the wall before wincing. _Bad idea,_ he thought to himself.

* * *

True to her word, Ginny was back after dinner carrying both of their book bags. Harry put on a sad face when he realized she wasn't carrying anything else. "Homework after a bland dinner? Gin', you're starting to take after the Madame…" he said cheekily.

Ginny pretended to be shocked and picked up a pillow off the next bed to hit Harry with. "Prat! Didn't I say I'd take care of you?" she asked as she reached into her bag for a covered plate of cookies and handed them over.

Harry smiled and set the plate on his lap before sitting up straighter, leaning over to kiss his girl as she sat down in the chair next to him. "I retract my previous statement, my lady."

She giggled and watched him as he started in on the plate. "You better. I happen to know someone that does a powerful Bat-Bogey Hex, though it's a bit out of practice."

They were both grinning as they joked about, and by the time Harry set his plate on the bedside table Ginny had her feet up on the bed under the covers and had one of Harry's pillows behind her back as they both relaxed and talked.

_So, _Harry started as he looked over at Ginny. _Isla had the same dream as we did?_

She shook her head. _I don't think it was the exact same; but it sounded eerily familiar. From what she told me she's had a few of these since she got here, but they never end up that long. I wonder if she's picking up on something here at the school because of her aura ability._

_That sounds plausible; we should figure out what that is then,_ Harry mused. _It won't do to let her keep being woken up every few nights. I wonder if it's something she's picking up from someone else, or maybe an object?_

_Could be anything, unfortunately,_ Ginny said with a sigh. _There were so many Death Eater's here that night, one of them could have slipped away or left something here no one could detect. We could have someone in the school plotting something, or they could even be possessed by something._

Ginny shivered at the thought of that and Harry reached out to take her hand.

_Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. I suppose we'll need to let McGonagall and Dumbledore in on our abilities, otherwise they'll wonder how we saw what we did._

She squeezed his hand back. _That's another thing that's bothering me; that nightmare we shared was almost like a premonition of sorts. We were in the courtyard, and there was that loud thud which had to be the battlement falling. Add Isla's message to us and her being right there in its path too is a bit unsettling. _

Harry closed his eyes and thought for a moment before sighing out loud and looking over at her. _Something we'll have to explore and think about. Maybe Dumbledore will be able to make something of it. The big question on my mind right now is what do we tell Hermione?_

Ginny bit her lower lip. _I feel like we should tell her everything, but she's so worked up about Isla right now that it might make her worse._

He raised his eyebrow and looked at his girlfriend. _Make what worse?_

A sigh accompanied Ginny's explanation. _A few days ago I was up by her and Ron's room to wake them up for breakfast when I heard her sobbing. The door was open a bit and I could see Ron holding her and rocking her back and forth like you did with me before my birthday. They started talking after a bit and from what I could tell, Hermione's been having bad panic attacks ever since you three escaped Malfoy Manor._

Harry looked at her, his grip tightening on her hand. _I had no idea,_ he said softly, looking glum and wondering how he could have missed that.

Ginny scooted her chair closer and sandwiched his hand between both of hers. _I know you're about to start blaming yourself for it, so I'm telling you not to right now. I know you love Hermione like a sister, I do too. We both hate that she's carrying what happened there around, but she'll get through it in time, we just have to let her. Ron's doing a good job taking care of her, and we just need to keep assuring her about everything, without letting on that we know. I don't think that would help the matter. _

He raised his hand so he could kiss both of hers. _Alright. So for now we keep this from Hermione._

They both looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Madame Pomfrey had been watching from the other end of the room since Ginny had returned. It was so nice to watch a young couple in love, and she didn't even mind the treats that her assistant had snuck in. The big thing on her mind was the puzzle of how the two seemed to be communicating. The two looked as if they had had a very serious conversation, with the body language and movements to prove it, yet aside from their joking at the beginning their mouths hadn't opened.

She had of course been filled in by both the Headmistress and Dumbledore's portrait about what had happened between the two of them over the summer, and those facts coupled with what she thought she was seeing had her returning to her office and pulling a very old and dusty tome from behind some others on her bookshelf.

The nurse got comfortable in her chair and poured herself a cup of hot tea before delving into the text. It would prove to be a rather long night for her.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! I appreciate every single follow, favorite, page view and review - it really helps knowing that people are enjoying what I write._

_As always, big thanks to my Beta readers for their help!_

_-Midnight_


	31. The Unknown

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 31 - The Unknown **

"Protego!"

A brilliant flash of light shone around Harry for a moment before disappearing from sight. He gave a quick nod towards his best mate, who wasted no time in unleashing a series of mild hexes and curses towards Harry's shield. The spells were cast without speaking, as well they should be. Teaching a group of first years how to perform some of the spells they were using in this demonstration duel would result in too many hallway skirmishes, and the two best friends didn't want to explain anything to Professor McGonagall.

Their class of first years watched with rapt attention as Ron fired hex after hex at Harry's shield, which glinted at every stopped attack but let none through. After a minute or so, they both winked at each other and stopped to look at the class.

"The Shield Charm is one of the best tools in your magical arsenal against the unknown. That is, if you have enough time to cast it before your opponent starts hurling curses at you," Harry said as he looked at the class of Gryffindors and Slytherins. Isla was beaming at him from the back of the crowd, obviously impressed.

"Usually you wouldn't even attempt the Shield Charm until fourth or fifth year because of the amount of energy it takes to power the charm, but we've spoken to Professor Weasley and he agrees that practicing this spell each year won't hurt one bit. Now don't be disappointed if you can't produce a shield around yourself by the end of class, we'd be extremely surprised if you could," Harry said, looking over to Ron.

The redhead picked up where Harry left off. "Professor Flitwick taught you lot about your magical cores last week right?" After waiting for them all to nod, he continued. "Swell, that makes it a bit easier to explain. The strength of your shield charm depends on two things; concentration and energy. Focusing on keeping your shield up through distractions is great, but you also have to have trained and built your cores. Since you lot have just started learning and using your magic, it might be a while before you can properly do many of the most intense spells."

"For now," Harry said as he looked at all the eager faces, "we're going to practice with small square shields only. When you cast Protego, focus on creating a small shield about two foot by two foot out from your wand. Like Mr. Weasley said, don't get upset if you can't get it at first. Also, don't try to keep your shield up for too long; we don't want anyone fainting or needing to visit Madame Pomfrey. Spread yourselves out around the room and give it a go, we'll be walking around to check on your progress and give out pointers. Also," he said quickly, before they all excitedly rushed off, "if we see that you all are focused and practicing diligently, we will be teaching you the Tickling Hex next week so you can test out each other's shields."

This set a wildfire of excitement to the room as each first year staked out a part of the room for themselves and took out their wands to start. Ron moved to the back of the classroom to keep and eye out on that side, and the way that he looked back at Harry after a moment told him that they had a visitor at the door.

Harry turned to see Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway with her usual serious face, but he could see the faintest hint of a smile on one side of her lips. "Good afternoon Professor," he said with a smile as she walked in to see what was going on.

"And a good day to you as well Mr. Potter. I heard that your and Mr. Weasley are quite the popular teachers and wanted to see for myself."

Harry couldn't help but smile at that news. "It's been a fun experience. Ron and I were worried about what to do with them but it's turning out well, I think."

The older witch nodded. "It does seem so. Tickling Hexes so early though?" she asked with the beginnings of a smile.

He shrugged. "It was the easiest and probably the safest hex we could think of for their practice, and they would have learned it from the higher years soon anyway; I believe it was Fred and George who taught me how during the holiday break my first year here."

There was a true smile on the older witch's face. "You make a good point there. I myself learned it in my first year, it seems to be tradition here." She watched the looks on concentration on the students' faces for a while before turning back to Harry.

"I received your note at breakfast about yourself and Miss Weasley wanting to speak with me and Professor Dumbledore. I assume it has something to do with the incident last week?"

"For the most part, yes," he answered carefully.

McGonagall regarded him for a few moments. "Very well. Tonight after dinner then, in my office?"

"That would be great, thanks Professor."

She nodded once. "I'll leave you and Mr. Weasley to it then. Keep up the good work Mr. Potter."

He heard Ginny's sigh in his head as he watched the Headmistress leave the room. _So our secret's going to be out in a few hours then._

_I don't particularly like it either Gin', but after those second and third nightmares we had we need to get their opinion. Maybe they'll have some ideas about what's going on._

_Yeah, I was just hoping for some more time to keep this private between us is all,_ Ginny answered as she read through a book on medicinal herbs and plants.

_Gin', if you ever want to have some 'private time', you just say the word…_

The loud giggling he heard in his head and the expressions from the first years who had managed to produce their small shields made Harry grin.

* * *

Dinner that evening held quite a few surprises for the students in the castle. Everyone had settled into a routine in the last month and as everyone knew, Tuesday night dinner was always pot roast. It was a surprise then when food starting appearing on the tables; some of the dishes they were being served were unfamiliar.

Those students who had been there for the Welcoming Feast of the Triwizard Tournament four years ago quickly remembered the various French foods and began explaining to everyone else what they were, though no one had a clue as to why it was on the menu for that night. The normal raucous noise levels of a meal at Hogwarts got louder and louder as more and more people voiced their opinions; there was a rather large group of students at the Hufflepuff table insisting that this meant the Triwizard Tournament would be on again for the year.

Professor McGonagall had a small smile on her face as she watched all her students eating and discussing. She didn't make them wait very long to find out what was going on, and it only took a few moments of her standing and motioning for the whole Hall to fall silent in expectation.

"Good evening everyone. There is an important announcement to be made and yes, it does have to do with the special menu tonight. Over the past few months a few members of our staff have been working closely with counterparts at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and we are proud to announce the formation of an exchange program between our two schools."

Excited whispers and low conversations broke out among every one of the tables as McGonagall continued. "This exchange program will be offered first to this year's current fifth years only, as they will have finished their O.W.L.s before the program begins this coming summer. Three students from each school will be selected before the end of the year by a committee, and will have the opportunity to spend a full year in France, including the summer months."

Harry looked around at the news and saw many different expressions on everyone's faces. There were those young students who were disappointed that they wouldn't be chosen but were looking forward to possibly being a part in a few years, and there were quite a few older students who looked crestfallen. Of course, there were those who couldn't be bothered with an opportunity like this and were content with the dinner.

"Any fifth year who is interested in being considered for the exchange program should speak with their Head of House as soon as possible for more detailed information. Now, this isn't the only new program that will be beginning tonight."

Heads all around the Great Hall perked up at this and the Headmistress waited until the chatter had died down again. "It is my pleasure to inform you that starting in two weeks, Hogwarts will be adding a new weekly occurrence to the schedule; a French Club. Not only will participants learn some of the French language, they will also learn about customs, traditions, art and more."

The door to the chamber behind the staff table opened and all four friends plus a few others who recognized the new arrival stood to applaud.

McGonagall applauded along with everyone else. "Please welcome Mrs. Fleur Weasley. Some of you may remember her from when she was our guest here at Hogwarts a few years ago, the then Ms. Delacour was the Triwizard Champion from Beauxbatons. Mrs. Weasley will be here on Wednesday and Sunday nights as the sponsor for the French Club, with first through fourth years on Wednesday evening and the older students on Sundays."

Fleur waved towards the end of the Gryffindor table and received very ecstatic waves back from the extended Weasley family before she sat next to Bill at the staff table and leaned over to kiss him on the cheek as she tended to do with everyone.

Dinner returned to a somewhat normal mealtime at the school as friends caught up with each other and everyone ate. Hermione was excited for the new club and had already pulled her copies of everyone's schedules out from her bag. They all could tell that she was a little bit bitter that she couldn't give the exchange program a go, and before they knew it Ron had agreed to go to the meetings with her.

Ginny was giving Ron a good old hard time about actually wanting to do more work and Harry nearly got to add his own playful dig at his mate when he noticed Professor McGonagall leaving her seat and looking over at him and Ginny before making her way out of the Hall. With a sigh, the both of them finished their dinner and stood as well.

"What's the meeting with the Head about?" Ron asked as he was adding another helping of the bouillabaisse stew to his bowl.

Harry looked around before leaning down to whisper back. "It's about our telepathy thing. Since we're finding more and more things that we can do with it, we've decided that McGonagall and Dumbledore should be let in on the secret, most of it anyway."

Hermione had a relieved look on her face when he said that; the worrywart part of her had been hoping that her friends would tell someone else about their abilities in case it was somehow harming them.

Once out of the Hall, Harry reached over for Ginny's hand and interlaced his fingers in hers as they walked up to the second floor.

_Ready?_ he asked, with a small smile on his face.

Ginny nodded. _Yeah, I am. Part of me is just feeling like we've misbehaved in class or something and we're about to be reprimanded like firsties._

Harry snorted as they rounded the corner and saw McGonagall waiting for them outside the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to her office. _I'll say. I've been feeling like that since she came to my class earlier._

The headmistress smiled at the couple and led them into her office, the gargoyle jumping aside as they did. Once in the office proper, Harry and Ginny had to look around the room a bit; it had changed a bit since they were last in here. Most of the odd contraptions and devices that Dumbledore had place around her office were gone, replaced by traditional Scottish decor.

"Please, have a seat you two. Albus, we have guests." McGonagall said as she slid into her own comfortable-looking seat. Harry and Ginny took the chairs opposite her desk and watched as their old Headmaster walked into the portrait frame. They both smiled as he regarded them through his half-moon spectacles and smiled.

"Ah, two of my favorite students!"

McGonagall had to smile at that. "I'd be careful spreading that around Albus; can't let the rest of the school think we are playing favorites."

Both Harry and Ginny were grinning from the interaction between their two elders.

"Yes, yes. I'll be sure to not mention it outside of this room," the bearded wizard said before winking at them. "So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? I assume it had something to do with the astounding event from this past summer?"

Harry looked over at Ginny before speaking. They were both nervous but knowing that they were doing this together helped them quite a bit. "Yes Professor, it is. We've been noticing a few things and wanted to get opinions from both of you."

McGonagall sat up in her chair as she looked from the portrait over to them. "A few things, as in being able to speak to each other without actually speaking?"

Albus chuckled at the reactions they both had. "Well, getting right to the point then Minerva..."

Ginny was able to compose herself first and looked between both Heads. "How did you know?"

Minerva was trying to hold back a grin from taking over her mouth as she spoke. "While we may not be on the same level as Miss Granger, Professor Dumbledore and I have been known to read through books and diligently research a topic. While there haven't been many recorded bonded pairs, every account that we came across included references to the couple being able to communicate outside of what is considered normal. We also had a very interesting visit from Madame Pomfrey the day after your incident with the school masonry, she had been watching the both of you that night and had come to the same conclusion."

Ginny was blushing at that revelation while Harry still had a surprised look on his face.

_Still surprised love? _she asked him over their connection.

_A bit, but even more so that McGonagall actually made two cracks at a joke in one go._

The smiles that appeared on both their faces brought a chuckle from portrait-Dumbledore. "Ah, what that must feel like for the both of you. Minerva and I both have so many questions for the two of you that we simply must insist on getting answers to, but we do realize that you both asked to speak with us, so there must be something even more important going on."

Harry nodded, and between he and Ginny the two Heads were quickly brought up to speed on when their speaking connection started and what evolved from it. The fact that they both were able to mostly control what it was they shared was astounding to their previous Headmaster.

"My word you two. As an Occlumens and Legilimens I know how hard it is to train the mind and its thoughts. You are telling me that this concept of blocking certain things going either way comes naturally?"

Ginny thought for a moment then nodded. "If I had to be honest, I would say it takes a bit of concentration to make it work, but with both of us working on it, it's much easier. For example, if Harry were in the middle of a crowd that's all speaking at once, the only reason I wouldn't be overwhelmed by hearing all those voices as well is that he can limit what I can hear, and I know how to find what his thoughts are concentrating on if he let's me."

Harry smiled at the description. "That's actually a lot more thought out than we've ever discussed. One of the first things we both got worried about was that we'd be able to intrude on each other's private thoughts on accident, but this connection we have seems to work both ways; bringing us closer together but giving us the abilities to still be our own people. Even if it wasn't that way, I trust Ginny one hundred percent with this ability of ours."

"I feel the same way," Ginny answered with a smile as she slipped her hand into his across the space between their chairs.

Professor McGonagall smiled at the couple sitting in front of her. "Well, that neatly takes care of the concerns that I had. Am I to assume that only two other people know of these abilities that you have?"

Ginny nodded. "Hermione noticed it over the summer so we told both her and Ron about it. I know that this is something we probably should have told everyone right away, but both Harry and I decided to keep it private for a while."

Harry nodded once as he kept looking at McGonagall. "With all the hubbub after Voldemort's defeat and then the almost dying again, we decided to try to be normal people for once."

Portrait-Dumbledore was chuckling loudly. "Harry my boy, with you nothing is ever normal, but I do see why you strive to achieve it. Very well, so there is the speaking in each other's minds, the ability to hear what the other is hearing, and also an increased ability for learning and memory. To me, it seems that when you filled Harry's void, Miss Weasley, you also may have connected a bit more of yourselves to each other. Since it seems that thoughts, speech and sound flow freely between the two of you, one might also make a point that you are able to subconsciously share each others knowledge, to a point."

Ginny smiled. "We were thinking something along those lines; we were getting through the reviews all the professors were giving us at the beginning of the school year a little faster than we thought because we somehow were helping each other."

Dumbledore nodded. "I consider myself a lucky man, having met two bonded couples in my years."

Even McGonagall turned in her chair to look at her predecessor. "Another couple? Who are they?"

The painting just sat back and smiled. "They never did confirm anything to me outright, but all the evidence points to me being correct. I am speaking of course about Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel."

Harry frowned. "Flamel? The alchemist who created the Sorcerer's Stone? He was also an inventor if I remember right, creating a whole slew of both muggle devices and spells as well?"

Dumbledore nodded. "The very same. They were my friends until they chose to pass on into the unknown, and in his last letter to me Nicholas all but confirmed it to me. Alas, we are getting a bit off the reason that we are sitting here. What did you two want to ask us?"

The young couple sighed at the same time and looked to each other for a bit of support. "Well," Ginny started, "we've also been sharing dreams, nightmares to be exact. The first one was early in the morning before the courtyard incident."

It took a few minutes for the two to describe everything they had seen and heard to two sets of bewildered faces. After they had finished, Minerva sat quietly for a few moments looking at Dumbledore's portrait, then over at her students. "Well, as truly amazing as the shared dreaming is, I expect that what you're seeing in these nightmares is what's concerning the two of you the most?"

Harry nodded. "It is. It's almost like that first dream was a premonition of sorts; things happened very similarly. The other two experiences we had didn't have any particular images, just the darkness creeping in. We could see it, and feel it too."

"It's cold and windy, almost like a winter wind but we also feel emotions as it gets closer to us; anger, hostility… a sense of chaos more than anything." Ginny added quietly.

Dumbledore regarded the both of them. "That is most disconcerting. As I recall Harry, your last trip to St. Mungo's provided you a clean bill of health did it not? There was no mention of anything left within you besides your own soul and that of Miss Weasley's?"

Harry nodded. "I don't think it's anything left over from Voldemort. The emotions I got off of him were always sinister in nature. What we're feeling during these nightmares is very erratic and all over the place, but all mixed into one. This is just a guess on my part, but I think this has to do with Hogwarts, professors."

Minerva eyed him with a serious look. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, it's almost like a gut feeling I have. Every nightmare we've shared has had the two of us somewhere in the castle. The fact that what we saw in that first one actually came true is what bothers me. We've spoken to Isla, and she's been having nightmares as well, darkness and all. Is it possible that something was left behind or changed by Voldemort's forces after the battle?"

Ginny felt his apprehension and took his hand once again as McGonagall closed her eyes to think. "It's possible, but highly unlikely Harry. Both the faculty and teams of Ministry employees swept the school from top to bottom over the summer. When it came time to rebuild the destroyed areas and recast spells and charms, we followed the instructions left behind by the Founders to the letter. As for young Miss Granger, I'd like to meet with her about her experiences."

Harry tried not to wince very much. That would be really hard to explain to Hermione.

Ginny looked intrigued. "The Founders left instructions on how to repair the castle?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Along with Gryffindor's sword and the Sorting Hat, the Founders left behind many objects and secrets for us to find and use. There are of course the ones that Voldemort found and turned into Horcruxes, and of course you both know about Salazar Slytherin's secret chamber."

Harry felt Ginny tensing up as she recalled what had happened years ago and he squeezed her hand in support while continuing to listen to Dumbledore.

"The headmaster of Hogwarts has always been given tools to protect and safeguard the school. When any part of the school is deemed in trouble, the castle provides us instructions on how to rectify the problem. That is, if there is a known solution. I myself never received any information about the Chamber of Secrets or the basilisk inside, simply because that information was never known to the other three founders."

Harry nodded. "So we have to wait and see then…"

The older wizard stroked his long white beard thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, yes. If as you say there is something wrong with the school, then the school will provide us with the answer if it can. Otherwise, we must assume that there is something wrong that we must solve on our own, or that it has nothing to do with the school at all."

The tension in the room could be cut with a butter knife as three sets of eyes and a painting looked at each other in silence.

* * *

_Poor Harry. Dumbledore is right - our hero always has something to worry about._

_Thank you for reading! As this chapter went live we hit just over 40,000 views :D If you enjoyed it please leave a review, favorite or follow - they make my day. Bad reviews and questions by PM are always welcome too. As always, thanks to my Beta readers for their help._

_- Midnight_


	32. Another Weasley Kind of Day

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 32 - Another Weasley Kind of Day**

By the time the middle of October came around most of the residents of Hogwarts Castle were ready for a break. Nearly every teacher had spent the first four or five weeks back as review for the previous year, since there were so many interruptions and problems. Now that everyone had all that information crammed into their heads it was time to start on new things, and Harry wasn't the only seventh year who felt like they had a small mountain of homework to work on.

Everyone who could was going to take advantage of the Hogsmeade visit today, whether it be just for the morning or all day long. Harry and Ginny couldn't help but grin as they listened to conversations around the Great Hall; everyone was talking about the opening of the new branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, even Filch. Of course, the castle's caretaker wasn't particularly enthused about the news and had been threatening anyone who'd mentioned stopping there with bag checks when they returned to the school.

The day was shaping up to be a cold one, it appeared as if autumn was going to give way to winter early this year. Ron and Hermione joined their two friends at their usual spots just before the large stampede of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins coming up from their lower level common rooms, the latter bundled up in a heavy cloak and large scarf.

Hermione noticed the stares from her best girl friend and looked back at her. "What? It's going to be cold out there!" she exclaimed as she reached for the platter of pancakes. "You're going to be wanting to run back for a scarf after a few hours out there."

Ginny just shook her head and giggled. "Hermione, have you forgotten that you're a _witch?_ I don't need a heavy cloak or scarf if I have my wand."

Harry and Ron tried not to grin too much as Hermione scowled at all of them and changed the subject. "Professor McGonagall stopped us on the way in and wanted to remind us about what she and Kingsley told us before," she said quietly, not continuing on because she knew that the other three would catch on to what she meant.

They all nodded. "Any word on an Auror presence, just in case?" Harry asked in the same hushed voice.

"Yes, she said that there was a small group already there; they checked in with the Head about an hour ago. McGonagall said that we would know them when we saw them."

Ginny set down her cup of tea and thought. "Probably the lot from King's Cross, then."

"Probably," Harry mused. He wouldn't let anyone else know it, but he was a bit worried about having the majority of the student body outside of the castle's wards for most of the day, especially with Travers and a few other Death Eaters still unaccounted for. He felt a hand on his arm and looked over to Ginny, who had a gentle smile on her face.

_Travers would be certifiably insane to try and pull something off in Hogsmeade today love._

_That's why I'm worried,_ Harry said. _I think he's already past the point of insanity, attacking children isn't something he'd be against. Or, if he's thinking smart, he could attack somewhere else today since he'll know the Ministry will have a good chunk of its Aurors here. _

Ginny squeezed his arm lightly. _Don't get worked up about it. If something happens in the village today, we'll all do the best we can to stop it._

Harry nodded. _I know, and part of me is wishing we could just relax out there, have a proper date of it without having to keep a watch over everything. We haven't had a proper date in ages._

She smiled out and inwardly listened to him, loving how thoughtful he always was. _I wish we could as well, but we could make a date of it in our room later tonight._

Harry perked up at that and smiled back at her. _You tease. Now I'm going to have to go through the whole day in anticipation._

Ginny giggled over their connection. _Yes, but at least you'll have a slightly better mood while waiting._

He blew a raspberry at her before returning to his plate, noticing Hermione and Ron looking at both of them with smirks.

"Welcome back," Hermione said with a wink. "I wish Ron and I could have private lovebird time like you two can."

Both Harry and Ginny were blushing. "We weren't talking about anything of the sort," Ginny said, trying not to giggle.

Ron groaned. "I don't even want to hear about it…"

* * *

"Oi! Careful getting your wands too close to that!" George shouted across an aisle to a group of Hufflepuffs. "I don't want firecrackers setting off all over the brand new floor alright?"

He sighed as he finished restocking the shelf he was working on and carried the empty box to the tiny back storage room they had here. "Bloody brilliant idea, running a store on a Hogsmeade weekend with two people and not enough supplies…" he muttered to himself as he grabbed another box off a high shelf. As he found his balance and was turning to walk back out, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Talking to yourself Georgie?" Angelina asked with a smile.

George scowled but let the pet name go; he didn't mind her calling him that as much as other people. "Yep, about the only way I'll be able to keep my head on a day like today. I'm pretty sure my brain wasn't working when I decided we could survive this day with just the two of us and no extra help."

Angelina giggled from the doorway, constantly peeking over at the register to see if anyone was waiting. "We'll be fine George, just relax a little alright? There's no point in stressing yourself out. The kids will be in the village all day long; they don't want to go back early just like us, remember?"

He set the box down on a table and took a moment to stretch his arms. "You have a good point there Ange'. Either way though, we'll probably be out of product at this rate."

"And that's _bad?_" she asked.

George just grinned. "Alright, alright. I get the point, I'll stop whining."

Angelina grinned too and slapped him lightly on the arm before turning to help a customer. "Galleons George, just think of the galleons!"

* * *

The oldest Weasley brother and now Hogwarts professor was sitting on a bench in Hogsmeade and smirking at the sight of so many of his students waiting patiently (and in some cases impatiently) to get in to see his brother's new store. Part of him wanted to join the queue outside the building to see for himself, but he had to shake himself out of that thought; McGonagall would be all over him for lending his appearance and the eventual "But Professor Weasley was there!" comments.

He almost jumped as he felt someone put a hand to each of his shoulders behind him, but settled down when those hands gently rubbed and squeezed in a familiar fashion. With a smile, he titled his head back to let his wife kiss his forehead. "Didn't have to wait very long at Honeydukes did you?"

Fleur shook her head and smiled. "Not veree long, no. Eet helps that almost evereeone is at George's store. I did find two peeople though..." she said with a motion of her head.

Bill followed her look and smiled when he saw his parents walking towards them with their own Honeydukes shopping bag. He sat up straight and scooted over on the bench so that Fleur and his parents would have room to relax. "Mum, Dad. Surprised to see you up here."

Molly was smiling over at him. "Hello to you too William. Your father and I decided to take advantage of one of his days off to see what everyone was up to. It's been a while since we've seen most of you."

Bill's cheeks got red at that. "Sorry Mum, we'll stop by the house a bit more for dinner. Fleur's just been enjoying her new kitchen at the house here..." He stopped talking as his wife slapped him over the back of his head with a scowl at him.

"Bill, you are horreeble sometimes. Blaming me of all things..."

Even so, she was grinning and it seemed to be infectious, all four of them were sporting a smile.

Arthur looked around as they talked. "I don't remember it being so hectic on a visit weekend here."

Molly grinned as she looked over at him. "That's because we were only worried about what we wanted to do during our time off Arthur. We were part of the chaos."

Bill laughed. "So have you tried getting into George's new store yet?"

His mother nodded. "We got here early enough that no one from the school had been by yet and took a look around. I'm glad that Angelina is here helping him today, it looks like it's absolute madness in there."

"Eet seems Angelina is helping him with a bit more than just the store..." Fleur mused out loud, a small smile on her face. Everyone nodded at that, silently thanking Merlin that George seemed to be doing better.

"We managed to run into Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione earlier too," Arthur said. "They were down with the first of the carriages, looking especially anxious."

Bill nodded. "They're taking McGonagall and Kingsley's ask for help seriously, Harry especially. It's good that they get to help out with keeping everyone safe, but I'm sure they'd rather just be enjoying themselves like everyone else is."

Seeing his mother worrying about the same thing, he decided to change the topic. "So Mum, how are the plans for the cafe going?"

The glimmer in Molly's eyes told the other three that she was excited to talk about it. "Oh Bill, I still can't believe that Harry did that. The more I think about it and plan things out, the more excited I get. I think I'll wait until after the new year to open it; there's just so much to get ready. The Fortescue's contacted us after they found out what we were planning and offered to sell us their ice cream recipes for a very reasonable price, so we'll have the ice cream counter ready but I need to decide what to put at the bakery counter, and then there's the furniture and decorations... it's all mind-boggling really."

Fleur was trying hard not to laugh at her mother-in-law's excitement. "I'll help you when I'm not here to teach at the French Club Mum, thee decorating at least. My baking skeells are nuzzing compared to yours."

Molly flushed a bit red. "Nonsense. I'll just have to give you the recipes Fleur. They were my mother's and grandmothers, and I need to pass them on."

Father and son exchanged looks as their ladies started chatting about different recipes or color schemes, and wondered how to extract themselves from the long conversation that was starting up.

* * *

Hours later, a very tired foursome made their way into their shared common room. Spending most of their day in Hogsmeade watching over many dozens of their peers had been taxing enough, and the dinner they had just eaten was weighing down heavily in their stomachs.

Ron had noticed that Hermione had been in a fairly good mood throughout the whole day until just a few minutes ago when Professor McGonagall had asked to speak with her privately for a moment. His girlfriend had joined back up with them in a much more sour mood that was her usual, and was now dropping her cloak and robes over the side of an armchair before flopping down into it.

Ginny looked over at her best girlfriend with a frown. "You okay, Hermione?"

The older witch had her eyes closed but she nodded her head. "I'm fine, just really tired all of a sudden."

Brother and sister looked at each other for a moment, knowing full well that she was lying. Harry was catching on as well, and decided that whatever it was, Hermione would eventually open up to Ron alone. "I'm done in as well," he said with a real yawn. "Coming up Gin'?"

Ginny nodded. "Right behind you Harry. Goodnight you two," she said as she followed Harry up the staircase to their private landing.

Ron waited until he heard their door close shut before walking over towards Hermione and taking a seat on the arm of her chair. He could tell that she was trying to keep in a well of emotions. "'Mione? What did McGonagall say?"

A frown crossed Hermione's face as she struggled with her thoughts. She didn't want to worry Ron over feelings that she was having that were certainly blowing out of proportion, but she knew that he was always there for her to talk to. She felt his hand slip around hers and eked out the tiniest of smiles for him before opening her eyes.

"McGonagall was letting me know that she had Isla in her office today to talk with her and Dumbledore about her aura reading."

Ron nodded. "That's good isn't it? You were going to suggest that anyway."

A long but quiet sigh escaped her. "Ron, she's been having nightmares every few nights since the start of term... and they think it's because of her ability. Why didn't she tell me?" she asked quietly as tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Why didn't I know, or catch on? I'm supposed to be taking care of her, I..."

Her breathing started turning more and more ragged and short, and Ron could feel her hands growing colder as another panic attack took it's hold on his girlfriend.

Biting his lip and seeing her falling further into the episode, he swore in his mind and tightened his grip on her hand, lifting his other to her forehead to run his fingers through her hair, something that always helped to calm her down. "'Mione, please try to relax love. I'm right here for you. Don't let yourself get more anxious, we can handle anything. Okay? Just focus on my voice and squeeze my hand. Good," he said encouragingly. "Can you take some longer breaths for me love? ... That's good, we're almost past this. Just keep focusing on me."

As with the other times this had happened, Hermione eventually relaxed enough for the lump in his throat to settle down. Ron took her into his arms and slipped down into the large armchair, bringing her right up to him and lowering her head onto his chest. Hermione began to cry softly and he let her, pressing his lips to the top of her head and rubbing her back gently.

After an episode like this, Ron knew that she needed a few moments to herself before she could speak to him. He was deep in his own worries about her when he eventually felt her squeezing his hand softly and shifting the position in which her head was laying on his chest.

"Thank you Ron," she said, just above a whisper with a sniffle at the end.

Ron wrapped his arms around her and lowered his chin on top of her. "You never have to thank me for this love, I'm always here for you. Do you want to talk about it?" he asked before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

She answered first with a sniffle and nodded slowly, letting herself relax in his protective embrace. There was nothing else like this in the world, the feeling of love and protection when she was with him. "I should've paid more attention to my sister, I should've known she was having strange nightmares. She might've told me if I spent more time with her..."

Ron gently rocked the both of them back and forth, as if soothing a child. "'Mione, I know you think it's your fault, but it really isn't. You're not causing these nightmares are you? You wouldn't hurt her intentionally love, you're the genius who would help her with them and see if they can be stopped or overcome."

Hermione bit her lower lip. "But..."

"No buts. There's only so much that anyone can do love. You are simply the best sister Isla could ever have Hermione. You talk with her every day, help her with homework and you dote on her as if she were your own kid. You haven't failed her, and don't you go thinking that you have."

She sniffled again. "Then why didn't she tell me?"

Ron sighed. "I don't know... maybe she's afraid to tell you because you'd be more worried, or tell your parents. She's very protective of you too love, and I think she knows that you've been having these episodes. She might be scared that you'd make her go home because of those nightmares, too."

Hermione let loose a long breath from her lungs, taking a moment to clear her mind. "I'll have to find a way to talk with her..." she said quietly, and then laid there against him for a few minutes and stared at the bookcase idly.

Ron could sense she was stewing over something else. "Please don't be angry at yourself 'Mione..."

"I'm not, I'm just upset that Harry and Ginny knew about those nightmares and didn't tell me."

He paused the rocking and looked down at her. "They did?"

She nodded. "They told McGonagall about her having them when they talked with her and Dumbledore last week, that's why they had the conversation today. Why wouldn't they tell me? She's my sister!"

Ron thought for a moment, and a few things he had noticed clicked into place. "'Mione, I think they know about your panic attacks. No, I didn't tell them, I haven't told a soul, but those two know you as well as I do. They knew you went through something horrible at Malfoy Manor, and they know you've been constantly worrying about Isla. They probably didn't want to add these nightmares on top of everything."

Hermione had a frown on her face. "I'm not delicate Ronald, they still should've told me!"

He sighed and squeezed her a bit in his arms. "No, you aren't love. You have to understand though, that they love you like a brother and sister. All three of us would do anything for you, to help you through anything. Yeah, it probably wasn't the best idea to keep you in the dark about it, but they probably didn't want to cause you any more worry."

She finally sighed and nodded slowly, letting the little bit of anger she had been holding wash away. "I suppose I should talk with them about Isla, and about me too tomorrow."

Ron nodded. "I'll be there for you love."

Hermione shifted in his arms to the point of almost laying in his lap and looked up at him. "I'm sorry Ron, I keep having these panic attacks and you have to keep seeing them and fixing me. I don't know why I'm so worried and anxious now, have I always been like this?"

He smiled gently as he pushed aside a stray strand of hair from her face. "Being honest? You've always been a bit of a worrywart love, but that's one of the things I love about you. If you didn't worry then you wouldn't be you; it's how you care for others. The anxiousness, no but I can see why. We've both been through a lot the last few years and it's a lot for someone to wrap around their head, and there's _still_ loads of things to worry about out there," he said, ending that sentence quietly. They both knew what he meant.

"'Mione, you never have to apologize to me for being here for you. I'm your boyfriend, and even if I wasn't I'd help you with anything. I'll be here for you no matter what, okay?" he said with a warm smile.

Hermione smiled up at him and lifted her head to kiss him gently. "Thank you Ron..." she said quietly. She marveled at how wonderful he was to her, and how he knew exactly what to say to her to make her feel better.

Ron continued to run his fingers through her hair, enjoying their closeness. "Any time love. How about we go take a long hot bath and get to sleep early?"

Hermione giggled a bit, which lifted his spirits. "You read my mind Ron."

The two slowly untangled from each other and made their way towards their own rooms, Ron's arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

If they had turned around they might have seen an Extendable Ear returning under their friends' bedroom door, and if they had opened that door right then, they would have seen their friends looking at each other with sad eyes and grim expressions.

* * *

_Thanks for reading everyone! Please favorite/follow and review if it tickles your fancy. I promise, we're marching towards a big climax in the story, something will happen soon!_

_As always, a big thanks to my Beta readers, I'd be lost with them!_

_-Midnight_


	33. All of Me - Ron's Interlude

_Author's Note: The Potter universe and all its characters, places, names, etc. are not my creation, all credit belongs to JKR. I'm only providing my own storyline and using her toys as my playthings. :P_

_I do not own the song All of Me or it's lyrics, they belong to John Legend. Try listening to the song as you read this chapter! _

_Enjoy!_

**Chapter 33 - "All of Me" - Ron's Interlude**

"Good night Ron," Hermione said sleepily as she felt his arm wrap around her under the covers, burrowing her face into the pillow.

Ron smiled as she settled in next to him, her eyes closing as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Good night 'Mione," he whispered softly.

""_What would I do without your smart mouth  
__Drawing me in, and you kicking me out  
__Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down""_

_Beautiful, _Ron thought as he watched his girlfriend drift off to sleep. Normally he would be drifting off along with her, but after the panic attack she had had just a half hour earlier he decided to wait in case something else happened. She was beautiful to him no matter what state she was in; angry, crying or even lost in her homework.

""_What's going on in that beautiful mind?  
__I'm on your magical mystery ride  
__And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright""_

He was rubbing her back gently, not hard enough to wake her but just enough to help soothe her. Ron knew that she was already asleep, but he liked to think that she was somehow feeling his attention in her dreams. A smile crossed his face as he saw her facial muscles relax and loosen the lines of worry that had been plastered across her face.

""_My head's under water  
__But I'm breathing fine  
__You're crazy and I'm out of my mind""_

As he lay there watching her, his mind began to wander freely and he sighed. How in the world did he end up with Hermione? How was he so lucky? He was a freckled redhead who was neither smart or that athletic. They had spent most of the seven years they had known each other bickering and fighting, and he had been so mean to her at the beginning of their first year that she had nearly been killed by a troll.

Why then, did she love him? What did she see in him?

""_'Cause all of me, Loves all of you  
__Love your curves and all your edges  
__All your perfect imperfections  
__Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you  
__You're my end and my beginning  
__Even when I lose I'm winning  
__'Cause I give you all, all of me  
__And you give me all, all of you""_

It was easy for him to list the things that he loved about her; how serious she was about her studies, her friendly teasing nature around her friends, and how she always encouraged him. He loved her bushy hair and how she smelled after a shower. He even loved the way she nagged at him every so often, though he would deny that until the end of days.

""_How many times do I have to tell you  
__Even when you're crying you're beautiful too  
__The world is beating you down, I'm around through every move""_

He loved her when she was upset and worried just as much as he did when she was happy and relaxed. Even though his heart ached when he saw her crying, he still loved seeing that raw emotion from her. He even loved her incessant worrying about essay and test grades. He loved every little quirky thing about her.

""_You're my downfall, you're my muse  
__My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues  
__I can't stop singing, it's ringing, in my head for you""_

Her smile was one of the biggest points on his list. No matter what he was feeling, her smile always picked him up and brightened his day. As he lay there thinking, he realized that without knowing it, his younger self had always looked and hoped for that smile from her. Then, it was that impish and shy smile that had drawn his attention to her but now it was the full-on smile that she always seemed to have for him, the one that brightened up any room or mood. Seeing that smile always got his throat caught up with emotions.

""_My head's under water  
__But I'm breathing fine  
__You're crazy and I'm out of my mind""_

He loved the amount of passion she carried around with her; it never seemed to end for the things that she loved doing. She always strived to do the best she could at everything, even though some of those things were downright impossible. Ron smirked as he remembered her attempts to get the Hogwarts house elves to want their freedom. She was one of the few people he could count on to tell him when he was being a prat or doing something moronic, and she never held back what she thought.

""_'Cause all of me, Loves all of you  
__Love your curves and all your edges  
__All your perfect imperfections  
__Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you  
__You're my end and my beginning  
__Even when I lose I'm winning  
__'Cause I give you all of me  
__And you give me all, all of you""_

Hermione was his partner in crime as well as his conscience, his source of both craziness and sanity. She was one of his best friends but more importantly she was his girlfriend, lover and soulmate. He could confide anything in her and trust her completely, something that he found hard to do with his family or even his best mate.

""_Give me all of you  
__Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts  
__Risking it all, though it's hard""_

She was the rock that he needed when Fred died, and what kept him afloat day after day. He shuddered to think about life without her; he didn't think there was any possible way he could. His greatest fear was losing her; his nightmares were always about Hermione deciding that she could do better than him, or losing her to an illness or attack by one of the remaining Death Eaters. He would rather someone cut into his chest and pour salt into the wound than lose his love.

""_'Cause all of me, Loves all of you  
__Love your curves and all your edges  
__All your perfect imperfections  
__Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you  
__You're my end and my beginning  
__Even when I lose I'm winning  
__'Cause I give you all of me  
__And you give me all of you""_

As he felt himself slowly drifting off to sleep, he looked over at Hermione and felt his heart melt at seeing her peaceful face. He loved her unwaveringly, unconditionally and unequivocally, he knew that he would do anything for her now and for the rest of his life, because life without her wouldn't be a life worth living.

His eyes closed and he smiled at what he was thinking about, bringing himself closer to the warm body next to his. _"I'm going to need a ring."_

""_I give you all, all of me  
__And you give me all, all of you""_

* * *

_Yes, it's just a fluff chapter this time around - but every story needs a little fluff to keep it from being hard and factual ;)_

_Thank you for reading - please review, favorite and follow if you haven't already! As always, much thanks and appreciation to my Beta readers for their help!_

_-Midnight_


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